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I 


THE   PHILOSOPHY 
OF  THE   INCARNATION 


Cfje  iSaltitoht  lectures,  isw 


THE  PHILOSOPHY 
OF  THE  INCARNATION 


BY    THE    RIGHT    REVEREND 

ALEXANDER   CHARLES  GARRETT,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

MISSIONARY   BISHOP   OF   NORTHERN    TEXAS 


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NEW  YORK: 

JAMES    POTT    &    CO.,    PUBLISHERS, 

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CorvRir,HTF.r>,   1S91, 
JAMES   POTT    &    CO, 


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TROW'9 

PRINTING  AND  BOOKBINDING  COMPANY} 

NEW  TOSK, 


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EXTRACT  FROM  THE  DEED  OF  TRUST, 

IN  ACCORDANCE  WITH  THE  PROVISIONS  OF  WHICH 
THE   BALDWIN   LECTURES   WERE   INSTITUTED. 


"  Shis  instrument,  made  and  executed  between 
Samuel  Smith  Harris,  Bishop  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  Diocese  of  Michigan,  of 
the  city  of  Detroit,  Wayne  County,  Michigan,  as 
party  of  the  first  part,  and  Henry  P.  Baldwin, 
Alonzo  B.  Palmer,  Henry  A.  Hayden,  Sidney  D. 
Miller,  and  Henry  P.  Baldwin,  2d,  of  the  State  of 
Michigan,  Trustees  under  the  trust  created  by  this 
instrument,  as  parties  of  the  second  part,  wit- 
nesseth  as  follows  : — 

"  In  the  year  of  Our  Lord  one  thousand  eight 

^     hundred  and  eighty-five,  the  said  party  of  the  first 

part,    moved  by   the   importance  of  bringing   all 

o     practicable  Christian  influences  to  bear  upon  the 

^     great  body  of  students  annually  assembled  at  the 

3     University  of  Michigan,  undertook  to  promote  and 

set  in  operation  a  plan  of  Christian  work  at  said 

University,    and  collected    contributions  for  that 

purpose,  of  which  plan  the  following  outline  is 

here  given,  that  is  to  say  : — 

"  1.  To  erect  a  building  or  hall  near  the  Uni- 
versity, in  which  there  should  be  cheerful  parlors, 


Li 

2 

Li 

-4 

< 


VI       EXTRACT  FROM  THE  DEED    OF  TRUST. 

a  well-equipped  reading-room,  and  a  lecture-room 
where  the  lectures  hereinafter  mentioned  misht  be 


■&' 


given  ; 


"  2.  To  endow  a  lectureship  similar  to  the 
Bampton  Lectureship  in  England,  for  the  estab- 
lishment and  defence  of  Christian  truth :  the 
lectures  on  such  foundation  to  be  delivered  annu- 
ally at  Ann  Arbor  by  a  learned  clergyman  or 
other  communicant  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  to  be  chosen  as  hereinafter  provided  : 
such  lectures  to  be  not  less  than  six  nor  more 
than  eight  in  number,  and  to  be  published  in  book 
form  before  the  income  of  the  fund  shall  be  paid 
to  the  lecturer ; 

'■  3.  To  endow  two  other  lectureships,  one  on 
Biblical  Literature  and  Learning,  and  the  other  on 
Christian  Evidences :  the  object  of  such  lecture- 
ships to  be  to  provide  for  all  the  students  who  may 
be  willing  to  avail  themselves  of  them  a  complete 
course  of  instruction  in  sacred  learning,  and  in  the 
philosophy  of  right  thinking  and  right  living, 
without  which  no  education  can  justly  be  consid- 
ered complete ; 

"  4.  To  organize  a  society,  to  be  composed  of 
the  students  in  all  classes  and  departments  of  the 
University  who  may  be  members  of  or  attached  to 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  society 
the  Bishop  of  the  Diocese,  the  Rector,  Wardens, 
and  Vestrymen  of  St.  Andrew's  Parish,  and  all  the 
Professors  of  the  University  who  are  communicants 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  should  be 
members  ex  officio,  which  society  should  have  the 
care  and  management   of  the   reading-room   and 


EXTRACT  FROM  THE  DEED    OF  TRUST.      vii 

lecture-room  of  the  hall,  and  of  all  exercises  or 
employments  carried  on  therein,  and  should  more- 
over annually  elect  each  of  the  lecturers  hereinbe- 
fore mentioned,  upon  the  nomination  of  the 
Bishop  of  the  Diocese. 

"  In  pursuance  of  the  said  plan,  the  said  society 
of  students  and  others  has  been  duly  organized 
under  the  name  of  the  '  Hobart  Guild  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan;'  the  hall  above  mentioned 
has  been  builded  and  called  '  Hobart  Hall  ;  '  and 
Mr.  Henry  P.  Baldwin  of  Detroit,  Michigan,  and 
Sibyl  A.  Baldwin,  his  wife,  have  given  to  the  said 
party  of  the  first  part  the  sum  of  ten  thousand 
dollars  for  the  endowment  and  support  of  the 
lectureship  first  hereinbefore  mentioned. 

"  Now,  therefore,  I,  the  said  Samuel  Smith 
Harris,  Bishop  as  aforesaid,  do  hereby  give,  grant, 
and  transfer  to  the  said  Henry  P.  Baldwin,  Alonzo 
B.  Palmer,  Henry  A.  Hayden,  Sidney  D.  Miller, 
and  Henry  P.  Baldwin,  2d,  Trustees  as  aforesaid, 
the  said  sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars  to  be  invest- 
ed in  good  and  safe  interest-bearing  securities, 
the  net  income  thereof  to  be  paid  and  applied 
from  time  to  time  as  hereinafter  provided,  the  said 
sum  and  the  income  thereof  to  be  held  in  trust 
for  the  following  uses  : — 

"  1.  The  said  fund  shall  be  known  as  the  En- 
dowment Fund  of  the  Baldwin  Lectures. 

"  2.  There  shall  be  chosen  annually  by  the  Ho- 
bart Guild  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  upon 
the  nomination  of  the  Bishop  of  Michigan,  a 
learned  clergyman  or  other  communicant  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  to  deliver  at  Ann 


Vlii     EXTRACT  FROM  THE  DEED    OF  TRUST. 

Arbor  and  under  the  auspices  of  the  said  Hobart 
Guild,  between  the  Feast  of  St.  Michael  and  All 
Angels  and  the  Feast  of  St.  Thomas,  in  each  year, 
not  less  than  six  nor  more  than  eight  lectures,  for 
the  Establishment  and  Defence  of  Christian 
Truth ;  the  said  lectures  to  be  published  in  book 
form  by  Easter  of  the  following  year,  and  to  be 
entitled  '  The  Baldwin  Lectures  ;  '  and  there  shall 
be  paid  to  the  said  lecturer  the  income  of  the  said 
endowment  fund,  upon  the  delivery  of  fifty  copies 
of  said  lectures  to  the  said  Trustees  or  their  suc- 
cessors; the  said  printed  volumes  to  contain,  as  an 
extract  from  this  instrument,  or  in  condensed  form, 
a  statement  of  the  object  and  conditions  of  this 
trust." 


CONTENTS. 


LECTURE  I. 

PAGE 

The  Philosophy  of  the  Infinite i 

LECTURE  II. 
Evolution — Spencer 24 

LECTURE    III. 
Idealism — Hegel 45 

LECTURE   IV. 
The  Person  of  Christ.    ..<...,    66 

LECTURE  V. 
Sin S7 

LECTURE   VI. 
Redemption in 

LECTURE   VII. 
The  Kingdom  of  God 137 


THE  PHILOSOPHY 


OF  THE 


INCARNATION. 


LECTURE    I. 
THE    PHILOSOPHY   OF  THE    INFINITE. 

"In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was  with 
God,  and  the  Word  was  God.  The  same  was  in  the  begin- 
ning with  God.  All  things  were  made  by  Him  ;  and  with- 
out Him  was  not  anything  made  that  was  made."— JOHN  i. 

1-3- 

THE  following  weighty  sentences  from  Bishop 
Martensen  may  serve  as  a  fitting  introduction 
to  these  lectures. 

The  manifestation  of  the  Son  of  God  in  the  ful- 
ness of  the  times  points  back  to  His pre-existence  ; 
by  pre-existence,  understanding  not  merely  that 
He  had  being  originally  in  the  Father,  but  also 
that  He  had  being  originally  in  the  world.  As  the 
Mediator  between  the  Father  and  the  world  it  ap- 
pertains to  the  essence  of  the  Son  not  only  to  have 
His  life  in  the  Father,  but  to  live  also  in  the  world. 
As  the  heart  of  God  the  Father  He  is  at  the  same 
time  the  eternal  heart  of  the  world,  through  which 
the  divine  life  streams  into  creation.     He  is  the 


2       THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

ground  and  source  of  all  reason  in  creation.  .  .  . 
All  the  holy  grains  of  truth  which  are  found  in 
heathenism  were  sowed  by  the  Son  of  God  in  the 
souls  of  men.  He  is  the  eternal  principle  of 
Providence  in  the  tangled  web  of  human  life  ;  for 
all  the  powers  of  existence,  all  ideas  and  angels, 
are  instruments  to  carry  out  the  will  of  the  all- 
ordering,  all-controlling  Logos.  .  •  .  .  In  His 
pre-existent  state,  therefore,  the  Son  regards  Him- 
self as  the  One  who  is  to  conic  in  and  through  his- 
tory ;  who  prepares  beforehand  the  conditions 
under  which  the  revelation  of  His  love  can  take 
place,  His  incarnation  in  the  fulness  of  the  times 
be  effected,  and  the  manifestation  be  made  by 
which  the  idea  of  Him  as  the  mediating  God  will 
first  attain  complete  realization." — ("  Christian 
Dogmatics,"  p.  237.) 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  thoughtful  men 
are  looking  for  a  principle  of  unification  which  may 
combine  under  one  grand  generalization  faith  and 
reason,  religion  and  philosophy,  reverence  for 
sacred  things  and  respect  for  the  advance  of  science. 
The  purpose  of  these  lectures  is  to  contribute 
something,  however  small,  toward  showing  that 
the  Incarnation  supplies  this  principle.  No  at- 
tempt will  be  made  to  go  over  the  ground  so  richly 
tilled  by  Pearson,  Liddon,  and  a  host  of  writers  on 
the  Divinity  of  Christ.  The  object  is  different. 
The  Philosophy  of  the  Incarnation,  to  be  of  value, 
must  be  able  to  unify  knowledge,  assimilate  truth, 
explain  mystery;  in  a  word,  afford  scientific  con- 
tent to  the  questioning  intellect,  accusing  con- 
science, and  bleeding  heart  of  humanity. 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INFINITE.  3 

The  argument  will  trace  the  bearing  of  the  In- 
carnation upon  the  great  questions  which  agitate 
our  time. 

The  Philosophy  of  the  Infinite  must  be  exam- 
ined. If  it  be  indeed  true  that  the  human  mind 
can  have  no  knowledge  of  the  Infinite,  the  question 
is  settled  to  begin  with,  and  nothing  more  need  be 
said.  Philosophy  has  to  do  with  knowledge,  not 
merely  with  sentiment.  If  therefore  knowledge 
be  impossible  in  any  case,  Philosophy  may  wisely 
employ  its  energies  elsewhere.  We  cannot  pro- 
ceed until  this  grave  question  has  been  considered. 
The  witnesses  for  God  must  be  called  into  court, 
their  testimony  patiently  weighed,  and  a  decision 
arrived  at. 

The  theory  of  Evolution,  as  expounded  by  Mr. 
Herbert  Spencer,  must  be  studied  with  an  impar- 
tial desire  to  ascertain  the  truth.  Here  we  must 
especially  guard  against  the  prejudice  arising  from 
previous  training,  and  habits  of  thought  to  which 
we  have  been  long  accustomed.  Truth,  wherever 
found,  is  precious,  and  a  true  Philosophy  must  be 
prepared  to  receive  and  assimilate  it. 

The  Religions  of  the  world  will  next  claim  at- 
tention  and  be  passed  in  rapid  review.  The 
"  grains  of  truth  "  found  in  them  must  be  sifted 
out,  and  the  bearing  of  the  Incarnation  upon  them 
shown. 

The  Person  of  Christ,  as  seen  in  the  Gospels 
and  history,  will  then  be  reverently  studied.  Sin, 
as  the  disturbing  element  in  the  harmonies  of 
the  universe,  must  receive  careful  consideration. 

Redemption,  as  exhibiting  the  antidote  of  love 


4      THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

to  the  irritant  poison  of  sin,  will  demand  atten- 
tion. 

The  Kingdom  of  God  will  fitly  conclude  the 
whole. 

I.  Knowledge  is  based  on  consciousness.  It  is 
the  business  of  Philosophy  to  examine  the  con- 
tents of  consciousness,  systematize  the  results,  and 
lay  them  before  us  for  our  guidance.  It  is  plain 
that  very  large  opportunity  is  here  given  for  im- 
perfect work.  The  history  of  Philosophy  exhibits 
a  coast  line  strewed  with  wrecks.  Here  have 
many  of  the  greatest  minds  been  stranded.  Here 
still  the  storm  rages  with  unabated  fury.  We 
launch  our  little  boat  with  diffidence,  but  as  we 
commit  her  guidance  to  Him  whom  winds  and 
waves  obey,  we  fear  no  danger,  and  confidently 
expect  to  reach  the  "  haven  where  we  would  be  " 
in  due  season. 

Kant's  Critique  of  Pure  Reason  is  conversant 
with  what  man  can  know,  and  plainly  denies  to 
man  any  knowledge  of  the  Infinite  God  ;  yet,  with 
singular  inconsistency  the  practical  reason  is  af- 
firmed to  afford  him  a  knowledge  of  God  sufficient 
for  the  government  of  his  conduct.  It  is  plain 
that  the  good  conduct  thus  ensuing,  however 
beneficial,  must  be  without  any  adequate  ground 
of  authority.  Man  is  divided  against  himself. 
To  him  religion  is  impossible  and  morality  has  no 
sanction,  if  this  confessedly  profound  philosopher 
have  correctly  interpreted  him.  We  do  not  deny 
the  value  of  what  is  called  the  "  moral  argument" 
commonly  derived  from  Kant,  but  its  power  is  not 


The  philosophy  Of  the  infinite.       5 

due  to  Kant,  but  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Infinite 
God  which  underlies  it,  and  which  he  has  denied. 

Sir  William  Hamilton  adopted  the  opinions  of 
Kant,  with  such  modifications  as  seemed  to  him 
desirable.  He  gives  a  summary  of  his  views  as 
follows  :  "  The  unconditioned  is  incognizable  and 
inconceivable;  its  notion  being  only  negative  of 
the  conditioned,  which  last  can  alone  be  positively 
known  or  conceived." — ("  Discussions  on  Philoso- 
phy," page  12,  quoted  in  Calderwood.) 

Dr.  Mansel  ("Limits  of  Religious  Thought") 
follows  in  the  same  vein  :  "  The  Infinite,  from  a 
human  point  of  view,  is  merely  a  name  for  the  ab- 
sence of  those  conditions  under  which  thought  is 
possible."  On  this  ground  Mr.  Herbert  Spencer 
has  built  up  his  most  wonderful  system,  which 
we  will  consider  later. 

Now,  if  Sir  William  Hamilton,  and  his  theologi- 
cal interpreter,  Dr.  Mansel,  mean  only,  that  we 
"cannot  by  searching  find  out  the  Almighty 
unto  perfection  "  (Job  xi.  7),  no  reasonable  man 
will  find  fault  with  them.  But  this  is  plainly 
what  they  do  not  mean ;  for  it  would  involve  ab- 
solute nescience. 

If  we  cannot  know  a  thing  unless  we  know  it 
exhaustively,  it  is  plain  that  we  have  no  knowledge, 
for  we  know  nothing  exhaustively.  The  modest 
violet  is  as  profound  a  mystery  in  the  ultimate  es- 
sence of  its  life  as  is  the  Power  behind  all  phenom- 
ena. The  purpose  of  Dr.  Mansel  is  to  rest  Religion 
on  faith  in  a  miraculous  Revelation  sustained  by  its 
own  appropriate  evidence  ;  which  faith  has  no  basis 
of  reason  or   knowledge   other  than  Revelation ; 


6      THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  iNCAPATATlON. 

and  of  which  therefore  science  and  philosophy  can 
take  no  account,  whether  for  attack  or  defence. 
However  we  may  admire  the  motive  and  ability 
of  this  really  attractive  writer,  we  cannot  but 
lament  the  result  of  his  labors.  The  division  of 
territory  thus  sought  to  be  established  cannot  be 
otherwise  than  impossible  of  defence.  The  only 
powers  we  have  for  settling  any  question  are  here 
thrown  out  as  useless  when  the  very  citadel  of  our 
being  is  endangered.  In  opposition  to  this  we 
maintain  that  our  belief  in  the  Divine  existence  is 
necessary;  that  this  involves  a  knowledge  of  the 
Infinite,  real  though  imperfect ;  that  this  knowl- 
edge is  present  in  consciousness  as  a  root  principle 
of  our  nature ;  and  that  it  continues  to  grow  and 
expand  as  it  is  fed  by  observation  and  reflection. 

I.  Our  belief  in  the  Divine  existence  is  necessa- 
ry. The  fact  of  the  discussion  so  earnestly  carried 
on  is  sufficient  to  prove  the  point ;  for  it  is  absurd  to 
suppose  that  the  greatest  minds  have  been  engaged 
for  so  many  years  upon  a  question  of  merely 
arbitrary  speculation.  Sir  William  Hamilton, 
while  denying  us  any  knowledge  of  the  Infinite, 
repeatedly  urges  that  it  "  must  and  ought  to  be 
believed."  Mr.  Spencer  urges  upon  the  one  hand, 
that  the  "  Power  which  the  universe  manifests  to 
us  is  utterly  inscrutable  "  (F.  P.,  p.  46),  and  on  the 
other,  "  We  find  that  its  positive  existence  is  a  nec- 
essary datum  of  consciousness,  and  that  so  long  as 
consciousness  continues  we  cannot  for  an  instant 
rid  it  of  this  datum "  (p.  29).  Here  we  have 
faith  and  knowledge  placed  in  opposition  in  a  curi- 
ous way.     Belief  we  are  told  is  necessary,  where 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE    INFINITE.  J 

even  the  least  particle  of  knowledge  is  declared 
impossible  !  In  what,  then,  do  we  believe  ?  Con- 
sciousness must  give  the  answer.  Here  are  some 
of  its  contents  : — 

(a.)  We  are  conscious  of  our  own  existence.  It 
is  a  necessary  belief  quite  incapable  of  proof,  yet 
resting  upon  the  surest  ground  of  knowledge  pos- 
sible to  man.  If  any  one  should  deny  the  fact  of 
his  own  existence  who  would  think  it  worth  while 
to  debate  the  question  ?  He  would  be  a  fitting 
subject  for  sympathy  but  not  for  argument. 

(d.)  We  are  conscious  of  existence  other  than 
our  own  and  external  to  us.  Some  one  might 
deny  the  existence  of  the  external  world,  but 
would  any  one  attempt  to  convince  the  poor  vis- 
ionary by  argument  ?  And  if  it  should  be  debated 
forever  it  could  not  be  made  clearer  than  it  was  at 
first.  Belief  in  self  and  not-self  is  a  primary  fact 
of  consciousness,  axiomatic  in  its  character,  and  ex- 
pressing self-evident  truth.  Demonstration  can- 
not make  it  plainer. 

(c.)  We  are  conscious  of  a  distinction  between 
subject  and  object  and  of  a  necessary  relation  be- 
tween them.  We  think,  and  we  know  ourselves  in 
thinking  to  be  variously  affected  by  the  process. 
Feelings  and  emotions  are  stirred  in  us  according 
to  certain  mysterious  but  profound  laws  of  our 
nature. 

(d.)  Consciousness  pronounces  a  distinction  be- 
tween cause  and  effect  and  also  a  necessary  rela- 
tion. The  mind  insists  upon  the  necessity  of  a 
cause  to  account  for  every  effect.  By  this  is 
affirmed  the  existence  of  power.     I  move  this  pen, 


8      THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

and  in  doing  so  exercise  a  mental  power  of  which 
I  am  conscious  over  a  material  thing  external  to 
me.  There  is  no  necessary  connection  between 
the  pen  and  the  strokes.  The  nexus  is  quite  dis- 
tinct from  both ;  the  bond  is  mental,  the  relation 
is  of  mind  to  matter. 

{c.)  We  are  conscious  of  moral  distinctions.  In 
the  words  of  Dr.  McCosh  ("  Intuitions,"  p.  252): 
"  The  mind  is  led  by  its  very  nature  and  constitu- 
tion to  perceive  that  there  is  an  indelible  distinc- 
tion between  good  and  evil,  just  as  there  is  an  in- 
delible distinction  between  truth  and  falsehood." 
And  again  (p.  255) :  "  The  expression  of  this  in- 
ward conviction  now  is,  not  that  we  are  under  ob- 
ligation to  an  unknown  power,  but  under  law,  and 
under  law  to  God.  It  is  thus  indeed  we  get  the 
peculiar  idea  of  moral  government  and  moral  law — 
not  from  sense,  nor  from  pleasure,  nor  from  utility, 
but  from  consciousness  constraining  us  to  feel  ob- 
ligation, and  combined  intuition  and  experience 
leading  us  to  trace  up  that  law  to  God  as  the  Be- 
ing who  sanctions  it." 

(/•)  ^e  are  conscious  of  a  sense  of  dependence 
and  of  a  feeling  of  awe  and  reverence  not  due  to 
any  external  cause  known  in  experience.  We  have 
in  history  the  record  of  their  power  and  persist- 
ence. However  as  individuals  we  may  ignore  or 
repudiate  these  deep  religious  emotions  they  are 
rooted  in  the  race  among  the  strongest  of  its  na- 
tive principles.  They  have  been  the  most  potent 
factors  in  its  development,  and  however  they  are 
to  be  accounted  for  cannot  be  ignored. 

2.  Supplied  with  those  six  fundamental  convic- 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INFINITE.  9 

tions  given  in  consciousness,  we  examine  their  find- 
ings, and  with  united  voice  they  proclaim,  "  The 
Hand  that  made  us  is  Divine."  We  ask  them  sev- 
erally, and  this  is  what  they  say  : 

(a.)  Materialism  is  not  true :  We  have  heard 
the  prophets  of  materialism  proclaim  before  the 
learned,  by  an  effort  of  the  "scientific  imagination," 
"  Matter  contains  the  promise  and  potency  of  all 
life  and  thought."  "  I  can  discover,"  says  another, 
"  no  logical  halting-place  between  the  admission 
(that  the  vital  actions  of  a  fungus  or  a  foraminifer 
are  the  properties  of  their  protoplasm,  etc.),  and 
the  farther  concession  that  all  vital  action  may, 
with  equal  propriety,  be  said  to  be  the  result  of 
the  molecular  forces  of  the  protoplasm  which  dis- 
plays it.  And  if  so,  it  must  be  true  in  the  same 
sense  and  to  the  same  extent,  that  the  thoughts 
to  which  I  am  now  giving  utterance,  and  your 
thoughts  regarding  them,  are  the  expression  of 
molecular  changes  in  that  matter  of  life  which  is 
the  source  of  our  other  vital  phenomena."  (Hux- 
ley, "  Lay  Sermons,"  p.  138.)  Yet  we  are  told  by 
the  same  authority  that  these  molecular  changes 
in  the  brain  are  separated  from  thought  by  a 
chasm  "practically  infinite."  Another  informs  us 
that  the  passage  in  question  is  "  unthinkable." 
"  Suppose  it  to  have  become  quite  clear,"  says  Mr. 
Spencer  ("  Principles  of  Psychology,"  vol.  i.,  p.  624), 
that  a  shock  in  consciousness  and  a  molecular  mo- 
tion are  the  subjective  and  objective  faces  of  the 
same  thing;  we  continue  utterly  incapable  of  unit- 
ing the  two  so  as  to  conceive  that  reality  of  which 
they  are  the  opposite  faces."     It  is  plain  that  con- 


IO   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

sciousness  refuses  to  sanction  the  confusion  of  mind 
with  matter  which  materialism  necessarily  involves. 
Mind  antedates  molecules,  and  cannot  therefore  be 
the  residuum  of  their  interaction.  Mind  persists, 
molecules  perish  every  instant.  Self  remains  the 
same  though  every  nerve  and  fibre  of  this  mate- 
rial frame  is  changed  from  day  to  day.  Here  is  not 
merely  a  difference  of  degree  but  of  kind.  Mind 
cannot  receive  the  conclusions  of  materialism  ex- 
cept by  suicide.  And  the  fact  that  some  indivi- 
dual minds  have  done  this  only  throws  us  back  upon 
that  Universal  Mind  which  antedates  them  all. 
"  As  thinking  beings,"  says  a  lucid  writer  ("  Philoso- 
phy of  Religion,"  p.  158),  "  we  dwell  already  in  a  re- 
gion in  which  our  individual  feelings  and  opinions, 
as  such,  have  no  absolute  worth  ;  but  that  which 
alone  has  absolute  worth  is  a  thought  which  does 
not  pertain  to  us  individually,  but  is  the  universal 
life  of  all  intelligences,  or  the  life  of  universal,  Ab- 
solute Intelligence." 

(b.)  Idealism  is  not  true.  There  is  more  than 
mind  in  nature,  although  it  be  true  that  mind  is 
before  all  things  else.  It  is  curious  to  observe 
the  way  in  which  the  most  pronounced  material- 
ists become  idealists  when  it  suits  the  exigency 
of  their  position.  They  begin  with  affirming  that 
mind  is  a  function  of  matter  and  end  with  affirm- 
ing that  matter  is  a  phenomenon  of  mind. 

Professor  Clifford,  who  can  only  believe  in  God 
upon  condition  evidence  can  be  produced  of  the 
existence  of  a  gigantic  "  brain  of  the  world,"  yet 
tells  us  ("  Lectures  and  Essays,"  vol.  i.,  p.  288)  : 
"  This  world  which   I  perceive  is  my  perception 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INFINITE.        II 

and  nothing  more."  Thus  again  Mill  ("  On  Hamil- 
ton," i.,  p.  243)  :  "  Matter  may  be  defined  a  perma- 
nent possibility  of  sensation."  By  this  kind  of 
reasoning  we  are  left  suspended  in  the  air.  There 
is  no  mind  except  as  a  function  of  matter,  there 
is  no  matter  save  as  a  manifestation  of  mind. 
The  whole  universe  is  speedily  blotted  out.  /  am 
only  a  function  of  matter.  There  is  no  matter, 
nor  is  there  any  I  !  To  this  superb  result,  "  duly 
advanced  intellects"  have  brought  us.  Had  they 
listened  to  the  voice  of  consciousness  they  would 
have  felt  the  reality  of  self  and  not-self,  of  subject 
and  object,  of  mind  and  matter,  of  cause  and 
effect.  They  would  have  found  the  distinction 
as  clearly  marked  as  the  reality  is  plainly  vouched 
for.  It  is  indeed  almost  pitiable  to  see  the  efforts 
of  Mr.  Spencer  as  he  struggles  with  this  difficulty 
("  Psychology,"  p.  627).  "We  can  think  of  matter 
only  in  terms  of  mind.  We  can  think  of  mind 
only  in  terms  of  matter.  When  we  have  pushed 
our  explorations  of  the  first  to  the  utmost  limit, 
we  are  referred  to  the  second  for  a  final  answer ; 
and  when  we  have  got  the  final  answer  of  the 
second  we  are  referred  back  to  the  first  for  an  in- 
terpretation of  it.  We  find  the  value  of  x  in 
terms  of  y ;  then  we  find  the  value  of  y  in  terms 
of  x  ;  and  so  on  we  may  continue  for  ever  without 
coming  nearer  to  a  solution."  This  is  sufficiently 
unsatisfactory  ;  but  when  he  finds  rest  in  an  "  Ulti- 
mate Reality,"  of  which  nothing  whatever  is 
known,  it  only  shows  how  a  really  great  mind  may 
allow  his  ignorance  to  refute  his  knowledge.  He 
continues  :  "  The  antithesis  of  subject  and  object, 


12    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

never  to  be  transcended  while  consciousness  lasts" 
— there  every  Theist  will  agree  with  him — "  renders 
impossible  all  knowledge  of  that  Ultimate  Reality 
in  which  subject  and  object  are  united  " — there  he 
must  stand  alone.  In  the  words  of  Harris  ("  Phil- 
osophical Basis  of  Theism,"  p.  433)  :  "  We  are  no 
longer  obliged  with  Spencer  to  find  the  Ultimate 
Reality  in  an  Absolute  Unknowable,  in  which  sub- 
ject and  object,  spirit  and  matter,  are  united.  We 
find  that  Ultimate  and  Absolute  Reality  in  Ener- 
gizing Reason.  In  this  we  find  united  and  eternal 
the  Reason  and  the  Power,  which  account  for  the 
existence  both  of  matter  and  finite  spirits  in  the 
unity  of  one  all-comprehending  and  rational  sys- 
tem expressing  the  truths,  conformed  to  the  laws, 
and  progressively  realizing  the  ideals  and  ends  of 
the  Wisdom  and  Love  of  perfect  and  absolute 
Reason." 

II.  All  knowledge  presupposes  faith.  In  the 
exercise  of  its  powers  the  mind  rests  on  the  belief 
that  consciousness  is  a  trustworthy  witness.  The 
fundamental  convictions  previously  enumerated 
cannot  be  set  aside.  The  mind  recurs  to  them 
with  undiminished  confidence,  though  they  maybe 
assailed  every  day.  Indeed,  if  this  principle  were 
disputed  all  knowledge  would  soon  be  done  away. 
Science  must  proceed  upon  the  same  admission. 
Mathematics  are  as  much  bound  as  metaphysics 
by  faith  in  their  axiomatic  principles.  Empiricism 
cannot  even  catalogue  its  observations  without 
faith  in  the  faculties  employed  to  report  upon  the 
facts.     Speculative  reasoning  upon  the  Infinite  and 


The  philosophy  of  the  infinite.     13 

Finite  must  exercise  faith  in  the  intellectual  pow- 
ers engaged  in  the  operation,  if  the  result  is  to  com- 
mand attention.  In  all  of  these  cases  the  basis  of 
faith  is  broader  than  the  superstructure  of  knowl- 
edge. 

The  science  of  the  age  is  based  upon  this  fact, 
however  unwilling  to  confess  it.  What  is  the 
"  scientific  imagination  "  of  which  so  powerful  a 
use  has  been  made  by  those  who  believe  "  beyond 
the  powers  of  the  microscope,"  except  it  be  an  un- 
limited faith  in  the  trustworthiness  of  those  facul- 
ties employed  and  the  generalizations  already 
reached  ?  The  faith  which  can  carry  Mr.  Spencer 
into  the  dim  and  shadowy  regions  of  the  Unknow- 
able is  surely  much  more  credulous  than  that 
which  sustains  the  superstitions  of  uncultivated 
minds.  We  are,  therefore,  entitled  at  least  to  re- 
spectful silence  from  these  champions  when  we 
ask  for  a  patient  hearing  on  the  ground  of  our  trust 
in  the  fundamental  convictions  and  primary  beliefs 
of  consciousness.  However  we  may  deserve  criti- 
cism on  other  grounds  and  from  other  opponents 
it  is  precluded  here.  Let  us  advance  as  far  as  we 
may  in  the  exercise  of  our  powers  of  thought  we 
must  soon  find  their  limit.  In  whatever  depart- 
ment of  knowledge  the  effort  is  made  the  result 
must  be  the  same.  We  are,  then,  compelled  either 
to  stop  our  research  or  accept  the  guidance  of  faith 
into  regions  inaccessible  without  it.  The  ability 
to  proceed  under  its  direction,  and  to  verify  by  ex- 
panding knowledge  the  results  from  time  to  time 
obtained,  is  the  satisfactory  proof  of  the  soundness 
of  the  method.     In  the  wise  words  of  a  reverent 


14    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

writer  (Calderwood,  "  Philosophy  of  the  Infinite," 
p.  127),  "We  may  not  be  able  to  discover  how 
God's  unlimited  knowledge  and  power  harmonize 
with  the  communication  of  freedom  to  a  large  race 
of  creatures,  or  how  the  absolute  holiness  of  God 
is  to  be  reconciled  with  the  permission  of  evil ;  but 
the  fundamental  belief  implanted  in  our  nature 
distinctly  involves  the  declaration  that  harmony 
does  exist,  though  we  fail  to  discover  it.  This  is 
equally  true  concerning  all  the  difficulties  which 
arise  from  the  limited  nature  of  the  understanding. 
The  acknowledgment  of  the  limits  of  the  under- 
standing as  a  controlling  principle  in  all  specula- 
tion ;  a  careful  regard  to  the  actual  boundaries  of 
thought,  especially  in  every  instance  where  it  is 
concerned  with  themes  stretching  far  into  the  unex- 
plored territory  of  faith  ;  and  a  uniform  cultivation 
of  reverence  and  humility  in  all  inquiry ;  are  alike 
essential  for  a  true  philosophic  spirit,  and  the  right- 
ful acknowledgment  of  that  God,  whose  glory  it 
is  our  highest  attainment  to  contemplate." 

I.  The  difficulty  confessed  on  all  sides  lies  in 
the  fact  of  our  complex  nature.  Compelled  to 
use  material  organs  for  the  purposes  of  thought 
and  observation,  we  are  driven  from  side  to  side  in 
the  effort  to  explain  the  problems  presented.  The 
observing  mind  refuses  to  be  identified  with  the 
eye  quite  as  much  as  with  the  telescope.  Both 
are  instruments  adapted  to  special  uses.  The 
mind  knows  itself  to  be  distinct  from  both,  nor 
can  any  eloquence  persuade  it  to  the  contrary. 
It  knows  that  intelligence  fashioned  the  telescope. 
It  knows  for  the  same  reason  that  the  eye  was  not 


THE   PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INFINITE,        1 5 

fashioned  without  intelligence.  It  knows  that  it 
stands  outside  the  eye,  and  is  really  independent 
of  it,  quite  as  much  as  it  is  outside  the  telescope 
and  independent  of  it.  In  the  same  way  it  ex- 
amines all  other  material  organs,  and  concludes 
without  hesitation  that  it  is  distinct  from  the  cells 
and  convolutions  of  the  brain,  however  much  it 
may  be  compelled  to  use  them  in  its  contact  with 
the  world.  Mind  knows  that  it  is  prior  to  matter, 
that  it  uses  things  material  as  the  curtains  of  its 
tent,  as  the  outward  vesture  in  which  it  is  clothed. 
It  knows  itself  to  be  possessed  of  power  over  mat- 
ter, and  to  be  able  to  modify  its  sequences,  in 
order  to  bring  about  results  which  otherwise 
would  not  have  occurred.  Tabernacled  in  clay, 
it  nevertheless  cannot  find  content  therein,  but 
rises  above  it,  soars  to  heaven,  and  sweeps  im- 
mensity with  tireless  energy.  It  knows  itself  to 
be  "but  little  less  than  God's  image  ruined,"  and 
will  not  be  robbed  of  its  affinity  with  the  Infinite 
and  Eternal  Reason.  Mind  can  love.  It  rises  up 
superior  to  the  appetites,  propensities,  and  pas- 
sions with  which  it  is  associated,  and  holds  them 
in  complete  subjection  to  the  higher  law  of  moral 
obligation.  It  recognizes  a  right  superior  to  per- 
sonal pleasure.  It  feels  the  sense  of  duty,  and, 
though  it  lead  to  the  arena  or  the  stake,  will  not 
be  deterred  from  its  patient  performance.  It 
knows  its  freedom  and  rejoices  in  it,  yet  it  knows 
also  that  this  freedom  must  be  limited  by  the 
rights  of  others.  It  learns  to  identify  itself  with 
the  object  of  its  love,  and  loses  all  thought  of  self 
in  the  enthusiasm  of  unity. 


1 6    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

I  think,  I  will,  I  love,  and  in  this  trinity  find  per- 
sonal unity  and  spiritual  content.  I  tliink,  and  am 
conscious  of  my  affinity  with  the  Absolute  Mind. 
I  will,  and  know  myself  more  than  matter,  and 
possessed  of  power  similar  to  that  which  made 
and  shaped  it.  I  love,  and  realize  my  destiny  in 
indissoluble  unity  with  the  object  of  that  love. 

It  will  be  in  vain  to  turn  the  telescope  upon  the 
glittering  worlds  and  tell  us  of  our  smallness.  The 
mind  which  can  weigh  them  is  greater  than  they. 
Equally  vain  will  it  be  to  bring  forth  the  micro- 
scope and  try  to  confound  us  with  the  amoeba. 
The  mind  which  can  measure  its  movements  and 
tell  the  chemical  constituents  of  its  environment 
is  not  to  be  dismayed  by  the  phenomena  of  life. 
Again,  it  will  be  useless  to  point  to  the  uniform- 
ity of  law,  and  tell  us  that  we  are  nothing  more 
than  the  product  of  circumstances.  The  mind 
which  can  discover  the  "  law  "  and  catalogue  the 
"  circumstances  "  is  possessed  of  a  power  migh- 
tier than  gravitation  and  more  subtle  than  elec- 
tricity, by  which  it  compels  those  stupendous 
forces  of  nature  to  do  its  bidding.  Equally 
without  effect  will  "all  the  ills  that  flesh  is  heir 
to"  be  recounted  until  the  resources  of  pessimism 
have  been  exhausted.  The  mind  knows  that 
"  love  is  stronger  than  death,"  and  that  a  sublime 
benevolence  irradiates  the  darkest  sorrows  of  our 
experience.  Thus  whatever  we  are,  and  whatever 
the  mysteries  of  our  nature  and  environment,  we 
carry  about  within  us  a  personality  which  can 
neither  be  crushed  nor  killed  amid  the  crash  of 
worlds,   however  it  may  stand  trembling  on  the 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INFINITE.        if 

verge  of  problems  yet  unsolved.  Yea,  though  no 
answer  could  be  given  or  hoped  for  to  the  profound 
questions  of  whence  ?  and  whither  ?  which  press 
upon  us  for  solution  every  day ;  yet,  such  is  the 
tenacity  of  consciousness,  that  it  will  continue  to 
hope  against  hope,  resting  on  the  knowledge  it  pos- 
sesses; nor  can  all  the  powers  of  darkness  expel  it 
from  these  defences.  The  "  night  "  may  be  "  dark  " 
indeed,  and  we  may  be  "  far  from  home,"  but  we 
know  the  "  Kindly  Light  "  is  beyond  the  cloud, 
and  that  He  will  surely  "  lead  "  us  "  on,''  when  the 
fulness  of  the  time  has  come. 

2.  Philosophical  reasoning  and  abstract  specula- 
tion afford  valuable  aids  to  the  struggling  minds 
"  seeking  after  God,  if  haply  they  may  feel  after 
Him  and  find  Him "  (Acts  xvii.  27).  Yet  the 
spirit  longs  with  a  great  yearning  for  a  nearer  view, 
and  through  a  medium  better  suited  to  the  "  dul- 
ness  of  our  blinded  sight." 

At  this  point  we  turn  to  the  Incarnation.  Al- 
ready is  the  horizon  burnished  with  golden  glory. 
Ruby,  amethyst,  and  sapphire  burn  and  glow  with 
the  promise  of  the  day  as  the  Sun  of  Righteousness, 
driving  away  the  darkness,  rises  upon  a  benighted 
world  with  healing  in  His  beams.  "  Arise,  shine ; 
for  thy  light  is  come,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  is 
risen  upon  thee"  (Is.  Ix.  1). 

Philosophy  demanded  of  us  an  "  Ultimate 
Unity"  wherein  the  Finite  and  the  Infinite  Sub- 
ject and  Object,  Cause  and  Effect,  might  combine. 
Science  required  as  much.  Speculation  sought 
diligently  for  the  same.  "  Pure  nothing  becom- 
ing something,"  is  Hegel's  grand  solution.  The 
2 


1 8    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

"  Altar  of  the  Unknowable  Force  "  is  to  receive  our 
"  worship  of  the  silent  sort,"  if  Mr.  Spencer  may 
be  allowed  to  guide  our  wandering  feet.  "  Collect- 
ive Humanity"  is  the  God  of  Positivism, and  must 
have  its  altars  and  priesthood.  Nature,  ruled  by 
Law,  bound  in  fetters  of  fate,  is  sufficient  for  many 
of  the  greatest  minds. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  wild  confusion  there  ap- 
pears before  us  in  the  concrete  the  actual  combi- 
nation of  which  we  have  been  in  search.  Here 
is  that  "Eternal,  Absolute  Reason"  to  Whom  we 
were  led  before,  actually  "  energizing  in  nature," 
taking  the  manhood  into  God,  clothing  Himself  in 
"  Flesh,"  and  dwelling  among  us.  He  appears  at 
once  as  the  Cause  of  all  things,  for  "  without  Him 
was  not  anything  made  that  was  made,"  and  "  He 
is  before  all  things,  and  by  Him  all  things  consist  " 
Col.  i.  17).  And  also  as  an  Effect;  for  "  He  took 
upon  Him  the  form  of  a  servant,  and  was  made  in 
the  likeness  of  men ;  and  being  found  in  fashion  as 
a  man  He  humbled  Himself,  and  became  obedient 
unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross"  (Phil.  ii. 

7,8)- 

The  Incarnation  thus  reveals  the  solution  of  the 

problem  of  the  Universe. 

The  earthly  life  of  Christ  is  the  manifestation 
of  spiritual  dignity.  Divested  of  all  extraneous 
aids  He  stands  out  before  the  world  in  the  unap- 
proachable awfulnes's  of  His  sorrows.  Whatsoever 
bitterness  may  be  in  poverty,  loneliness,  obscurity, 
all  were  His.  The  wretchedness  of  being  misun- 
derstood and  rejected  by  those  for  whom  the 
greatest  sacrifices  have  been  made  ;  the  misery  of 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  IN 'FINITE.        1 9 


finding  false  friends  even  among  those  most  trust- 
ed ;  the  disappointment  arising  from  being  pre- 
vented, by  the  cruel  ignorance  of  misrepresenta- 
tion, from  doing  the  good  so  much  needed  by  the 
suffering;  the  shrinking  of  the  sensitive  spirit  from 
the  brutal  coarseness  of  the  mob ;  the  horror  of  a 
great  darkness  which  fell  upon  the  pure  and  stain- 
less soul  as  the  shadow  of  sin  pressed  upon  it ; — 
these,  all  these  made  the  cup  of  His  sorrow  some- 
thing with  which  happily  our  limited  experience 
can  have  but  slight  acquaintance.  The  tender 
sympathy  for  the  afflicted,  the  sweet  compassion 
for  the  guilty,  the  gentle  patience  with  the  dis- 
ciples, the  holy  converse  with  the  believing  women, 
the  righteous  indignation  against  the  hypocrites, 
the  majesty  of  silence,  the  serenity  of  faith,  the 
calm  of  resignation,  the  meekness  of  wisdom — how 
grand,  how  sublime  are  these  !  We  ask  with  one 
of  old  "  Lord,  what  is  man  ? "  And  this  answer 
comes  :  This  is  man  :  "  Thou  art  my  beloved  Son  ; 
this  day  have  I  begotten  Thee." 

Yet  this  is  not  all.  He  must  live  as  we  are 
called  to  live  in  pain,  sorrow,  tears  and  the  severe 
discipline  of  self-conquest ;  but  He  must  also  die, 
that  He  may  round  out  the  fulness  of  our  experi- 
ence. Lacerated  nerves,  torn  muscles,  wrenched 
joints ;  the  scourge,  the  nails,  the  spear  must  do 
their  work.  The  solitariness,  the  horror,  the  chill, 
the  shadow  of  death — all  must  be  drained  out  to 
the  very  last.  "  Father,  into  Thy  hands  I  com- 
mend my  spirit,"  the  "  Sacred  Head,  thorn-crowned 
and  bleeding,"  falls  upon  the  pulseless  Heart,  and 
all  is  over. 


20   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATlOtf. 

"  All  is  over,"  did  I  say  ?  Far  otherwise.  The 
Resurrection  and  Ascension  follow  in  due  course. 
They  are  the  visible  proofs  of  man's  immortal  na- 
ture and  heavenly  destiny.  They  complete  the 
whole  wondrous  scheme,  and  reveal  the  grand 
purpose  running  through  all  the  discipline  of  the 
past.  Again  we  ask  with  one  of  old,  "  Lord,  what 
is  man  ?  "  And  the  answer  comes  again  :  This  is 
man  :  "  We  know  that,  when  He  shall  appear,  we 
shall  be  like  Him  ;  for  we  shall  see  Him  as  He 
is"  (i  John  ii.  2). 

Does  Science  hope  to  prove  by  elaborate  induc- 
tion the  Unity  of  Nature,  arranging  in  one  grand 
system  its  myriad  phenomena,  its  progress  and 
retrogression,  its  pleasure  and  pain,  its  economy 
and  waste,  its  life  and  death  ?  Here  in  the  Life 
of  the  all-ordering  Reason,  at  once  Son  of  God 
and  Son  of  Man,  is  the  profound  explanation  of 
the  problem.  Has  Positive  Philosophy  been 
driven  to  the  necessity  of  holding  Humanity  as  a 
unit  and  seeking  in  the  perpetuity  of  the  race  some 
satisfaction  for  the  aspirations  of  the  species ; 
Here  is  Humanity  gathered  into  its  source  and 
presented  in  solidarity  with  life  and  immortality 
brought  to  light,  and  flashing  down  the  ages  with 
the  brightness  of  the  everlasting  day. 

Has  Spencer  labored  to  prove  the  existence  of 
an  "  Ultimate  Reality "  in  which  "  subject  and 
object,  Finite  and  Infinite  shall  be  united,"  which, 
indeed,  "  the  universe  manifests  to  us,"  but  which 
nevertheless  is  "  utterly  inscrutable  :  "  Here  is 
One  who  can  answer  the  requirements  of  this 
abstruse  statement.     "  No  man  knoweth  the  Son, 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INFINITE.        21 

but  the  Father ;  neither  knoweth  any  man  the 
Father  save  the  Son,  and  he  to  whomsoever  the 
Son  will  reveal  Him"  (Matt.  xi.  27).  "No  man 
knoweth  the  Son "  in  all  the  mystery  of  His 
Nature.  No  man  "  knoweth  the  Father"  in  the 
infinite  depths  of  His  Nature  "save  the  Son;" 
for  no  one  else  is  both  God  and  Man.  The 
"  Power  "  is  not  "  utterly  inscrutable,"  for  "  the 
Son  will  reveal  Him."  Here  the  Finite  and  the 
Infinite  are  joined,  "  not  by  confusion  of  the  Sub- 
stance but  by  Unity  of  Person." 

"  In  Christ  the  one  God  is  seen  in  all  His 
absolute  perfection  and  in  all  His  eternal  Majesty  ; 
but  He  is  seen  revealed  in  man  and  to  man " 
(Barry,  "Witnesses  for  Christ," p.  223).  On  the 
page  before  this  the  same  writer  thus  :  "  Of  all  that 
belongs  to  the  true  conception  of  the  one  God — 
His  creative  power,  His  perfect  moral  nature, 
His  actual  rule  over  all  the  universe — the  declara- 
tions ascribed  to  the  Lord,  startling  as  they  are, 
are  literally  true.  '  No  man  hath  seen  God  ;  the 
only  begotten  Son,  He  hath  revealed  him.'  '  He 
that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father.'  There 
is  for  vital  religion  an  infinite  difference  between  a 
God,  toward  whose  invisible  and  inconceivable 
majesty  man  can  but  look  up  through  the  veils  of 
secondary  causes,  rather  feeling  than  knowing  that 
He  is,  and  a  God  Whom  we  know  face  to  face,  as 
manifested  to  us  visibly  through  the  manifestation 
of  Jesus  Christ  "  (p.  222). 

Does  Pantheism  identify  God  with  the  world, 
making  in  fact  God  a  synonym  for  all  that  is  in  the 
world   both  good   and  evil  ?     Here   is  One  who 


22    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  IXCARXATION. 

plainly  condemns  all  evil  as  foreign  to  the  nature 
of  God.  Evil  is  not  merely  a  negative  good  to  be 
absorbed,  but  a  deadly  poison  to  be  eliminated  by 
the  remedial  agency  of  the  Gospel.  The  Reason 
which  dwells  and  energizes  in  Nature  is  also 
above  Nature,  overruling  the  evil  which  mars  the 
fair  beauty  of  the  free  creatures  to  whom  has  been 
given  the  dread  prerogative  of  liberty.  God  is  not 
only  immanent  in  nature,  which  no  Theist  will 
deny,  but  also  "  God  over  all,  blessed  forever  ;  "  as 
the  Apostle  has  affirmed  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
(Rom.  ix.  5). 

It  has  not  been  the  object  here  to  prove  any 
of  the  statements  of  Scripture  on  the  Person  of 
Christ  which  have  been  referred  to,  but  only  to 
point  out  how  very  wonderfully  the  Incarnation 
as  therein  presented  meets  the  conditions  of  some 
of  the  deepest  problems  which  have  engaged 
thoughtful  minds. 

The  lock  which  guards  the  mysteries  of  the  Uni- 
verse is  one  of  singular  complicity.  The  genius  of 
Man  has  been  engaged  since  the  dawn  of  history  in 
the  effort  to  find  a  key,  or  make  one,  which  might 
fit  in  some  degree  this  intricate  mechanism.  The 
History  of  Philosophy  is  very  largely  the  history  of 
its  failure.  The  Incarnation,  at  this  stage  of  our 
argument,  is  offered  as  meeting  the  requirements  of 
the  case  in  a  way  as  effective  as  it  is  unique.  It 
satisfies  the  contents  of  consciousness.  It  unifies 
Thought,  Power,  and  Love,  by  revealing  their 
fountain  of  origin  in  the  Eternal  Father,  Son, 
and  Holy  Ghost.  It  unveils  the  mystery  of  our 
origin,  and  reveals  the  glory  of  our  destiny.     It 


THE  PHILOSOPHY   OF  THE  INFINITE.        2 3 

thus  spans  the  whole  arch  of  being,  and  holds 
within  its  comprehensive  amplitude  the  Begin- 
ning and  the  End. 

And  while  we  may  well  tremble  exceedingly 
as  we  touch  the  verge  of  this  most  awful  theme, 
yet  we  are  reassured  by  the  words  which  have 
come  to  us  across  the  centuries  from  the  hand  of 
the  beloved  disciple  :  "  And  when  I  saw  Him,  I 
fell  at  His  feet  as  one  dead.  And  He  laid  His 
right  hand  upon  me,  saying  unto  me,  Fear  not,  I 
am  the  first  and  the  last  :  I  am  He  that  liveth 
and  was  dead  ;  and  behold,  I  am  alive  for  ever 
more,  Amen"  (Rev.  i.  17,  18). 


LECTURE    II. 

EVOLUTION— SPENCER. 

"  In  Him  was  life." — John  i.  4. 

A  BRIEF  synopsis  of  Mr.  Spencer's  system  of 
philosophy  must  now  be  presented.  Ex- 
tending over  some  4,500  pages,  and  embracing  the 
whole  universe  in  its  grasp,  nothing  will  be  ex- 
pected here  except  the  barest  outline. 

I.  The  philosophy  of  Sir  William  Hamilton  on 
the  "  Unconditioned  "  and  that  of  Dr.  Mansel  on 
the  "  Limits  of  Religious  Thought "  have  fur- 
nished the  ground  on  which  Mr.  Spencer  has  built 
his  theory  of  the  universe.  He  begins  with  the 
"  Unknowable."  Religion  and  science  contain 
some  ultimate  truth  ;  ultimate  religious  and  scien- 
tific ideas  are  alike  unthinkable ;  creation,  self-ex- 
istence, the  absolute,  the  infinite,  time,  space,  mat- 
ter, motion,  force,  refuse  to  submit  to  thought. 
These  being,  nevertheless,  examined,  yield  to 
thought  this  result  :  That  "  Persistence  of  Force  " 
lies  beneath  every  other  truth,  is  given  in  con- 
sciousness, and  explains  all  phenomena.  With  this 
master  key  he  unlocks  all  the  mysteries  of  the 
universe.  The  solar  system,  astronomical,  meteor- 
ological, and  geological  laws,  light,  heat,  electric- 
ity, magnetism,  clouds,  vapors,  rocks,  soils,  tides— 


EVOLUTION— SPEXCER.  2$ 

all  appear  as  various  modifications  resulting  from 
the  "  Persistence  of  Force."  We  then  have,  with- 
out any  hint  of  difficulty,  the  gentle  assertion 
(First  P.,  pp.  211,  212),  the  "forces  which  we  dis- 
tinguish as  mental  come  within  the  same  general- 
ization." How  motion,  heat,  or  light  can  become 
a  mode  of  consciousness  is  admitted  to  be  an  un- 
fathomable mystery,  yet  it  is  as  calmly  assumed  as 
though  it  were  self-evident.  Man  is  thus  conve- 
niently obtained  as  a  necessary  product  of  the 
"  Persistence  of  Force."  From  the  principles  of 
mechanics  it  appears  that  "  motion  follows  the 
line  of  least  resistance."  Force  from  the  solar  ray 
originating  motion  in  homogeneous  masses  will 
set  up  chemical  changes  which  also  produce  mo- 
tion ;  which  again,  "  following  the  line  of  least  re- 
sistance," will  "  differentiate  "  the  "  homogeneous  " 
and  evolve  the  "heterogeneous"  and  finally  the 
'"'  individual."  Thus  the  stability  of  the  most  com- 
plex and  highly  specialized  is  derived  from  the 
homogeneous  and  unstable  by  the  law  of  the 
"  Instability  of  the  Homogeneous." 

Having  reached  this  satisfactory  conclusion  it  is 
not  difficult  to  advance  farther.  The  "  Persistence 
of  Force  "  is  then  required  to  bridge  the  chasm  be- 
tween the  inorganic  and  the  organic.  Life  sponta- 
neously arises  from  a  happy  combination  of  chemi- 
cal adjustments.  Development  follows  as  a  matter 
of  course.  The  physical  basis  of  life  once  secured 
and  the  persistence  of  "  Force  "  still  continuing,  all 
things  are  easily  accounted  for. 

We  pass  to  "  Principles  of  Psychology."  Here 
the  operations   of   nervous  energy  are   examined 


26   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

with  great  minuteness.  The  purpose  is  to  show 
that  nervous  action  and  mind  at  least  synchronize. 
All  the  broad  features  of  mental  action  are  said  to 
have  their  correlations  in  nervous  states.  From 
this  it  is  inferred  that  mind  and  nervous  energy 
are  so  closely  related  that  they  must  have  grown 
up  together,  and  are  in  reality  only  two  sides  of 
the  same  thing.  Sensation  is  thus  identified  with 
mind.  One  mighty  law  embraces  in  its  sweep 
the  intelligence  which  has  worked  out  this  system 
and  the  sensations  of  the  protozoa. 

If  this  is  not  Materialism  pure  and  simple  it 
would  be  difficult  to  say  what  Materialism  is. 
Yet  Mr.  Spencer  is  careful  to  repel  the  charge,  and 
through  a  long  argument  endeavours  to  prove  that 
the  simple  affirmation  of  consciousness  of  its  own 
existence  is  very  much  more  certain  than  any  truth 
arrived  at  by  reasoning.  "  No  axiom  of  Euclid, 
no  observation  of  the  senses,  no  generalization  of 
science  is  so  certain  as  that  Mind  is  a  substantive 
entity,  and  that  no  collocation  of  Matter  or  Mo- 
tion can  ever  account  for  it  "  ("  Structural  Princi- 
ples, Ground,"  p.  16).  We  have  now  reached  two 
conclusions  :  i,  Mind  and  nervous  energy  are  two 
sides  of  the  same  thing ;  yet,  2,  Mind  is  a  sub- 
stantive entity  which  no  collocation  of  Matter  can 
ever  account  for. 

We  pass  to  "  Sociology."  Some  savage  tribes  he 
admits  may  be  degenerate  descendants  of  nobler 
sires,  but  this  is  of  little  consequence.  All  have 
come  from  the  chemical  changes  already  men- 
tioned. Untoward  circumstances  and  the  move- 
ment of  "currents  on   the  line  of  least  resistance" 


EVOLUTION— SPENCER.  27 

may  have  facilitated  this  degeneracy  in  special  cases, 
while  there  is,  nevertheless,  steady  advance  all 
along  the  line.  An  opposing  wind,  being  invisible, 
may  easily  have  suggested  other  invisible  foes ; 
echoes,  dreams,  and  shadows  may  tell  of  a  second 
self ;  revival  from  a  fainting  fit  might  tell  of  the 
coming  and  going  of  the  other  self ;  death  would 
be  only  a  protracted  sleep  ;  spears,  vessels,  and  food 
placed  by  the  grave  indicate  a  belief  of  a  future 
awakening.  The  Christian  doctrine  of  the  Resur- 
rection of  the  body  and  the  immortality  of  the 
soul  is  only  a  refinement  on  these  notions  of  the 
savage.  Savages  soon  ascribed  spirits  to  plants 
and  animals,  then  to  the  powers  of  nature.  Thus 
the  world  and  all  things  in  it  became  the  outward 
covering  of  spirits  dwelling  within.  Fear  soon 
taught  man  to  reverence  or  appease,  beseech  or 
defy,  worship  or  obey,  as  seemed  most  likely  to  be 
profitable.  It  is  contended  that  in  this  fashion 
the  notion  of  every  god,  not  excluding  the  God  of 
the  Hebrews,  has  arisen. 

We  need  not  trace  his  development  of  the  fam- 
ily. The  "  Data  of  Ethics  "  aims  to  establish  the 
main  proposition  that  "  conduct  which  most  per- 
fectly adjusts  acts  to  ends  "  will  be  the  best,  for  it 
will  produce  most  in  length,  breadth,  and  force  of 
life.  From  these  will  spring  larger  fertility.  The 
species  which  is  better  adjusted  to  its  environment 
will  survive  while  others  perish.  Elaborate  argu- 
ment is  adduced  to  prove  that  goodness,  life,  and 
pleasure  are  the  guiding  principles  of  right  con- 
duct. Physically,  higher  morals  and  larger  life 
abide  together.     Biologically,  morality  conduces 


28    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

to  a  larger  life  than  immorality,  and  brings  with  it 
a  larger  measure  of  pleasure  and  a  smaller  measure 
of  pain.  Psychologically,  the  moral  sense  has 
been  evolved  out  of  the  punishments  inflicted  by 
law  ;  but  this  sense  of  fear  soon  passes  away  in  the 
joy  which  right  conduct  gives.  Righteousness  is 
then  pursued  for  its  own  sake,  and  life  and  pleas- 
ure are  in  proportion  to  it.  Sociologically,  a  fair 
division  of  the  spoils  of  the  chase  being  found  bene- 
ficial, a  desire  for  mutual  advancement  speedily  de- 
velops, a  basis  of  co-operation  is  quickly  reached, 
the  proportioning  of  benefits  to  the  services  ren- 
dered ensues.  Evolution  drives  mankind  along 
until  principles  of  justice  have  been  established, 
and  a  readiness  to  bestow  unpaid  services  upon  the 
community  distinguishes  society.  It  is  admitted 
that  some  of  these  results  are  still  future,  but  this 
does  not  diminish  the  confidence  with  which  they 
are  expected.  Thus,  out  of  the  principle  that  the 
life  of  every  organism  will  be  strong  and  happy  in 
proportion  as  it  rightly  adapts  acts  to  ends  we  are 
led  up  from  the  differentiating  process  originated 
by  the  action  of  the  solar  ray  upon  the  nervous 
tissue  of  the  protozoa  to  these  grand  results  of  an 
unselfish  Altruism.  Selfishness,  which  has  marked 
every  movement  for  the  survival  of  the  fittest 
among  the  sponges  onward,  upward,  outward,  un- 
til it  develop  the  individual  man  and  his  family, 
has  been  finally  changed  so  radically  as  to  find  its 
chief  delight  in  the  sacrifice  of  itself  for  the  bene- 
fit of  its  fellows  ! 

Thus  far,  then,  have  we  been  led  by  following 
this  system,  which  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  has 


E  J  'OL  UTION—  SPENCER.  2  9 

larger  influence  to-day  among  educated  people  than 
any  other.  It  has  all  grown  by  a  purely  material- 
istic process  out  of  the  "  Persistence  of  Force," 
which  is  described  as  the  "  Power  which  the  Uni- 
verse manifests  to  us,"  and  which  is  declared  to  be 
"  utterly  inscrutable."  I  say  by  a  purely  "  materi- 
alistic process,"  for  although,  as  we  have  seen,  Mr. 
Spencer  resents  the  imputation,  very  few  will  be 
able  to  accept  his  statement  to  that  effect,  for  if 
"  Mind  and  nervous  energy  are  but  two  sides  of 
the  same  thing,"  it  is  difficult  to  see  how  "  Mind 
is  also  a  substantive  entity  which  no  collocation 
of  Matter  can  ever  account  for."  Undoubtedly 
Mind  has  played  a  very  important  part  in  all  the 
vast  process  which  has  been  sketched,  but  the 
writer  was  not  entitled  to  its  presence,  unless,  in- 
deed, the  "  Power  "  which  is  "  utterly  inscrutable  " 
be  allowed  to  contain  it.  If  the  "  Persistence  of 
Force"  be  allowed  to  be  intelligent  the  whole 
process  of  Evolution  may  be  accepted  as  the  best 
supported  theory  of  the  method  pursued  in  the  Di- 
vine operations  carried  on  in  the  Universe ;  but 
if  that  "  Force  "  be  denied  intelligence,  then  the 
intelligence  so  plainly  manifested  all  along  the 
line  from  the  protogenes  to  man  must  be  left  out  as 
a  factor  gratuitously  assumed  and  totally  unac- 
counted for. 

II.  The  system  involves  a  denial  of  will  to  man. 
He  sums  the  matter  briefly  in  a  dilemma  :  "  Psy- 
chical changes  either  conform  to  law  or  they  do 
not.  If  they  do  not  conform  to  law,  this  work, 
in  common  with  all  works  on  the  subject,  is  sheer 
nonsense :  no  science   of   Psychology  is  possible. 


30    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

If  they  do  conform  to  law,  there  cannot  be  any 
such  thing  as  free-will  "  ("  Principles  of  Psych.," 
Vol.  I.,  p.  503).    This  seems  an  easy  way  of  setting 
aside  all  power  of  choice  in  us,  and  all  consequent 
responsibility.     But  the  reasoning   here  is  really 
not   formidable.     The  "  law  of  liberty  "  is  some- 
thing quite  different  from  the  law  of  physical  se- 
quence.    The  attempted  argument  is  only  of  force 
on  the  assumption  that  the  mind  is  nothing  but 
successive  states  of  consciousness,  and  that  these 
again  result  from  impressions.     One  or  two  sen- 
tences will  make  this  clear:  "  It  is  alike  true  that 
he  determined  the  action  and  that  the  aggregate 
of  his  feelings  determined  it ;  since,  during  its  ex- 
istence, this  aggregate  constituted  his  then  state  of 
consciousness,  that  is  himself."    A  little  farther  on  : 
"  It  follows,  inevitably,  that  when  an  impression  re- 
ceived from  without  makes  nascent  certain  appro- 
priate motor  changes,  and  various  of  the  feelings 
and    ideas    which   must   accompany    and    follow 
them  ;  and  when,  under  the  stimulus  of  this  com- 
posite psychical  state,  the  nascent  motor  changes 
pass    into   actual  motor  changes ;  this   composite 
psychical  state  which  excites  the  action,  is  at  the 
same  time  the  ego  which  is  said  to  will  the  action. 
Naturally  enough,  then,  the  subject  of  such  psy- 
chical changes  says  that  he  wills  the  action  ;  since 
psychically  he  is  at   that  moment  nothing  more 
than    the    composite    state   of   consciousness   by 
which  the  action  is  excited.     But  to  say  that  the 
performance  of  the  action  is,  therefore,  the  result 
of  his  free-will,  is  to  say  that  he  determines  the 
cohesions  of  the  psychical  states  which  arouse  the 


E  VOL  UTI  ON— SPENCER.  3  I 

action ;  and  as  these  psychical  states  constitute 
himself  at  that  moment,  this  is  to  say  that  these 
psychical  states  determine  their  own  cohesions, 
which  is  absurd''  (Vol.  I.,  p.  501). 

Comment  is  unnecessary.  If  a  man  is  nothing 
more  than  a  "  state  of  consciousness,"  or  a  "  com- 
posite state  of  consciousness,"  or  the  "  cohesion 
of  psychical  states,"  of  course  when  these  have 
passed  he  has  passed  with  them,  and  can  in  no 
way  be  recalled  for  any  purpose  of  reward  or  pun- 
ishment. All  the  fine  writing  about  "  morality  " 
and  "  unpaid  services  "  might  have  been  spared, 
for  the  "  cohesion  of  psychic  states"  having  passed 
away  with  the  services  there  was  no  one  left  to  re- 
ceive the  payment ! 

We  have  now  traced  the  system  of  Mr.  Spencer 
as  far  as  our  limits  will  permit,  and  before  passing 
we  sum  results  as  follows  : 

1.  The  "Persistence  of  Force"  by  means  of 
which  the  universe  has  been  produced  is  not  af- 
firmed to  be  intelligent  or  unintelligent.  If  it 
be  the  former,  no  Theist  will  be  found  to  deny  its 
adequacy  to  produce  the  effects,  whether  by  the 
method  described  or  some  other.  But  if  that 
"  Force  "  be  without  intelligence  the  system  hope- 
lessly breaks  down  ;  the  most  important  factors 
with  which  we  are  acquainted  remain  totally  un- 
accounted for ;  and  the  genius  of  a  Newton  can- 
not be  distinguished  from  the  solar  ray  he  passed 
through  his  prisms.     This  is  pure  Atheism. 

2.  Mind  is  affirmed  to  be  a  "substantive  entity" 
which  "  no  collocation  of  matter  can  ever  account 
for."     Yet  Mr.  Spencer  spends  a  vast  amount  of 


32    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

time  and  labor  in  the  attempt  to  obtain  mind  from 
matter.  He  leaps  from  dead  matter  to  living  by 
the  agency  of  a  solar  ray  ;  from  this  to  a  nervous 
system  and  currents  of  nervous  energy  was  easy 
climbing ;  from  this  to  mind  as  only  "  another 
face  of  the  same  thing"  presented  no  difficulties  ; 
yet,  himself  being  judge,  the  passage  is  absolutely 
impassable ! 

3.  He  does  away  with  personality.  Man  being 
nothing  except  "  states  of  consciousness  "  is  indeed 
more  evanescent  than  even  the  "  morning  cloud 
and  early  dew,  which  passeth  away." 

4.  He  denies  the  freedom  of  will,  and  thus 
destroys  responsibility,  and  renders  morality  im- 
possible and  religion  useless. 

Eloquence  and  subtlety  are  thrown  away  in  the 
attempt  to  make  mankind  commit  intellectual  and 
moral  suicide  in  this  way.  In  so  far  as  the  theory 
of  Evolution  explains  the  method  of  unfolding  in 
time  the  Divine  idea  lying  at  the  base  of  eternity, 
and  shaping  itself  in  Cosmic  ends  from  age  to  age, 
every  Theist  will  bid  it  welcome  ;  and  none  more 
than  those  who  reverently  worship  Him  without 
whom  was  not  anything  made  that  was  made,  and 
who  is  emphatically  the  Life  of  the  world. 

III.  It  has  been  the  business  of  Evolutionists  to 
trace  resemblances,  and  from  these  to  infer  relation- 
ship and  identity  of  origin.  While  the  inference 
may  be  just,  it  is  no  more  than  an  inference.  Thus 
Mr.  T.  Lauder  Brunton  speaks  ("  The  Bible  and 
Science,"  p.  314):  "A  vertebrate  animal,  during 
its  development,  does  not  become  a  starfish,  a 
worm,  an  insect,  or  a  snail  ;  but  at  one  stage  or 


E  VOL  UTION— SPENCER.  3  3 

another  of  its  growth  it  is  much  more  closely 
related  to  these  than  when  fully  developed.  In 
its  first  condition  it  is  a  simple  cell,  and  may  thus 
be  looked  upon  as  related  to  the  lowest  forms  of 
protozoa.  It  next  becomes  an  agglomeration  of 
cells,  and  may  then  be  regarded  as  related  to  the 
higher  protozoa,  or  metazoa,  and  through  them  to 
the  mollusks,  and  annuloids,  and  as  development 
goes  on  we  come  to  a  stage  where  the  embryo,  for 
aught  we  can  tell,  may  be  that  of  a  fish,  amphibian, 
reptile,  fowl,  or  mammal.  At  successive  stages 
we  can  distinguish  the  fish  from  the  others,  then 
the  amphibian,  next  the  reptile,  next  the  bird, 
while  still  we  could  hardly  say  whether  the  em- 
bryo was  to  develop  into  a  pig,  an  ox,  a  rabbit,  or 
a  man."  After  this  it  is  quite  comforting  to  be 
assured  in  the  sentence  preceding  this  quotation  : 
"  Each  embryo  does  not  move  from  type  to  type  ; 
it  retains  always  its  own  type,  but  it  undergoes 
specialization  in  function."  A  series  of  figures  are 
then  given  in  which  this  similarity  in  embryonic 
creatures  is  illustrated,  and  of  course  the  conclu- 
sion is  drawn  that  notwithstanding  the  fact  that 
"  each  embryo  "  "  retains  always  its  own  type  " 
still  the  evolving  of  the  highest  from  the  lowest 
type  is  the  only  scientific  conclusion ! 

I.  But  is  it  ?  Take  two  specks  of  protoplasm 
and  examine  them  under  the  microscope.  The 
most  experienced  observers  cannot  detect  any 
difference.  Submit  them  to  chemical  analysis  the 
same  report  will  be  given  by  those  best  qualified 
to  speak.  Yet  the  one  speck  was  alive  and  the 
other  dead.  Take  two  other  specks  of  protoplasm 
3 


34   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

and  examine  them  under  the  microscope.  They 
are  both  alike  nor  can  the  greatest  scientist  of 
them  all  differentiate  them ;  yet,  if  allowed  to 
grow,  the  one  will  make  a  fish  and  the  other  a 
rabbit.  There  is,  then,  some  mysterious  power, 
which  neither  microscope  nor  chemistry  has  been 
able  to  detect,  which  is  the  cause  of  the  differen- 
tiation manifested  by  the  result.  It  is  vain  to 
attempt  to  account  for  it  by  the  "  environment," 
for  myriads  of  creatures  have  lived  along  the  coast- 
line for  ages  in  successive  generations  under  the 
same  conditions  of  light,  heat,  electricity,  etc.,  and 
have  "  not  moved  from  type  to  type." 

We  are  willing  to  go  back  with  Mr.  Huxley  and 
Mr.  Brunton  to  the  primitive  bioplast  of  each 
creature  "after  its  kind,"  and  let  them  point  out 
the  similarity  of  protoplasm  in  each,  but  unless 
they  can  explain  to  us  what  that  mysterious 
"something"  is  which  drives  each  kind  along  its 
own  lines,  we  will  prefer  the  simple  words  of  Gene- 
sis— "  And  God  said,  Let  the  waters  bring  forth 
abundantly  the  moving  creature  that  hath  life," 
etc.  ;  "  Let  the  earth  bring  forth  grass,"  etc. ; 
"  Let  the  earth  bring  forth  the  living  creature 
after  his  kind,"  etc. — to  any  bold  assumptions 
which  are  made  in  the  name  of  science.  We 
simply  deny  that  similarity  in  the  physical  basis 
of  life  is  any  proof  of  the  identity  of  origin  of 
creatures.  Nature,  impregnated  by  the  Divine 
Word,  "  brings  forth  "  everything  after  its  kind. 
The  differentiating  power  is  therefore  "  before  all 
things."  Nothing  can  be  evolved  which  has  not 
first  been  involved.     The  Divine  Word  gave  earth 


E  VOL  UTION— SPENCER.  3  5 

and  sea  and  air  His  high  commands,  and  obedient 
they  do  His  bidding.  Not  for  nothing  is  it  that 
"  He  walketh  upon  the  wings  of  the  wind," 
"  weigheth  the  mountains  in  scales,"  and  "  holdeth 
the  ocean  in  the  hollow  of  His  hand."  Nor  does 
He  need  perpetually  to  "  interfere "  with  the 
mighty  forces  He  has  created  and  assigned  to  duty. 
No  one  I  presume  will  accept  the  representation  of 
Brunton  (page  319)  :  "  According  to  the  doctrine 
of  special  creation,  each  species  of  plant  and  animal 
was  created  at  once,  and  has  undergone  no  charge 
since,"  etc.  Such  a  method  of  interpretation  may 
have  been  in  use  at  some  time.  Methods  of  in- 
terpretation have  to  be  revised  in  science  as  knowl- 
edge grows.  It  is  no  great  matter  of  marvel  if  the 
words  of  the  ancient  record  of  Creation  have  been 
misunderstood  in  times  gone  by.  The  point  of 
real  interest  lies  in  this,  that  these  words  like  liv- 
ing things  adapt  themselves  to  every  real  advance 
which  scientific  knowledge  has  attained.  Is  it  in 
any  sense  true  that  "  Nature  brings  forth  all 
things  of  herself  spontaneously  ?  "  Scripture  says 
as  much  in  the  words  already  quoted,  but  corrects 
the  error  of  Lucretius  and  his  modern  interpret- 
ers by  substituting  for  his  atheistical  conclusion 
("  without  the  intervention  of  the  gods  ")  the  ra- 
tional and  sufficient  exposition  of  the  mystery 
"  God  said,  let  the  earth  bring  forth." 

If,  then,  Evolution  can  be  scientifically  estab- 
lished as  the  method  of  development  illustrated  in 
the  progress  of  ages,  the  Theist  will  only  rejoice  in 
the  corroboration  thus  given  to  his  cherished  con- 
victions.    Nor  will  the  formation  of  man's  body 


2,6    THE   PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

from  the  "  dust  of  the  ground  "  disturb  him.  The 
pleasantry  which  has  been  indulged  in  here  by  some 
is  sadly  out  of  place.  Nothing  is  said  as  to  the 
metJtod  of  procedure.  The  re-arrangement  of  pre- 
existing materials  is  all  the  narrative  affirms.  By 
what  means  this  was  brought  about  we  are  not  told. 
That  man  has  ever  been  essentially  different  from 
what  he  is  now  cannot  be  proved  by  science,  how- 
ever recklessly  it  may  be  asserted.  Palaeontology 
has  not  found  a  single  relic  to  justify  the  accusation. 
The  Neanderthal  skull,  the  oldest  yet  discovered, 
"may  have  contained  the  brains  of  a  philosopher," 
if  Mr.  Huxley  may  be  allowed  to  judge.  In  fact, 
the  men  of  the  "  Stone  Age  "  must  have  been  of 
very  superior  intelligence.  The  "struggle  for  ex- 
istence "  is  hard  enough  now,  even  among  the  high- 
est type  of  the  Caucasian  family.  What,  then, 
must  have  been  the  terrible  trials  of  the  "  Lake 
Dwellers  "  and  "  Cave  Men  "  as  they  fought  the 
cave  bear  and  hyaena  of  those  days  with  their  flint 
arrow-heads  and  stone  axes  ?  Every  step  lost  in 
the  scale  of  intelligence,  only  increases  the  diffi- 
culty of  the  hypothesis  of  Man's  origin  from  the 
"  lemurs,  or  some  creature  even  lower."  A  "  Man- 
like" infant  among  the  "  lemurs"  could  not  pos- 
sibly have  survived,  however  "  pointed  "  his 
"  ears,"  or  "  arboreal "  his  ancestral  "  habits." 
The  "  less  perfect  foot,"  would  have  been  an  in- 
calculable advantage  to  all  his  compeers  in  the 
"  struggle  for  existence."  They  must  have  dis- 
tanced him  in  every  nutting  contest.  Long  be- 
fore reason  could  have  come  to  aid  his  duller 
vision  or  move   his  weaker  hand,  he  must   have 


E  VOL  UTION— SPENCER.  3  7 

perished  miserably  in  the  depths  of  his  native 
forests.  Whatever  may  have  been  the  process  of 
man's  development  there  are  stupendous  difficul- 
ties in  the  way  of  accepting  that  proposed  by  Mr. 
Darwin  and  his  imitators. 

The  "  drafts  upon  the  bank  of  time  "  made  by 
the  hypothesis  in  question  cannot  be  honored. 
The  law  of  differentiation  in  the  physical  basis  of 
life  in  embryos  remains  unexplained  upon  the 
theory  under  review. 

The  sterility  of  hybrids  still  bars  the  way  of  the 
"transmutation  of  species." 

Evolution  does  not  account  for  the  "  origin  "  of 
anything,  however  it  may  be  able  to  explain  the 
perpetuation  of  an  advantage  once  gained.  Every 
"advantage"  is  a  mere  "accident"  in  its  origin, 
and  is  obtained,  therefore,  in  violation  of  the  rigid 
law  of  "  persistence  in  type."  The  origin  of  life  is 
as  profound  a  mystery  as  it  ever  was. 

Life  is  the  differentiating  principle  which  deter- 
mines the  organism,  upon  which  the  development 
of  the  organism  depends,  and  by  which  the  destiny 
of  each  creature  is  realized. 

The  human  life  shapes  the  foot,  the  hand,  the 
flexile  tongue,  the  articulating  larynx,  the  double 
spinal  curve,  the  occipital  foramen,  the  sphenoid 
angle,  the  frontal  lobe,  the  convolutions  of  the 
brain ;  and  thus  furnishes  an  instrument,  "  fear- 
fully and  wonderfully  made,"  which  reason  and 
conscience  may  use  for  high  resolve  and  holy  pur- 
pose. 

In  passing  down  the  ages  the  circumstances  of 
environment  have  sometimes  hindered  and  some- 


4517; 


38   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

times  favored  the  growing  power  of  the  human  as 
of  every  other  kind  of  life.  As  the  Indians  forcibly 
compress  the  head  and  the  Chinese  the  foot,  so 
have  external  conditions  modified  the  outward 
covering  of  flesh  and  dwarfed  or  developed  some 
powers  more  than  others.  Scarcity  of  food  and 
multiplied  physical  hardships  have  compelled  de- 
generacy in  some,  while  larger  opportunities  and 
happier  skies  have  ministered  to  rapid  advance  in 
others.  But,  though  dwarfed  and  stunted,  the 
powers  peculiar  to  man  remain  latent  even  in  those 
degenerate  specimens  of  the  race  most  hopelessly 
brutalized.  The  natives  of  Terra  del  Fuego  whom 
Mr.  Darwin  carried  to  England  on  the  occasion  of 
his  celebrated  voyage  in  the  Beagle,  possessed  la- 
tent capacities  of  intellect  which  were  speedily 
manifested  under  educational  influences.  Mis- 
sionaries everywhere  find  the  same  conditions  as 
they  travel  from  pole  to  pole  and  all  round  the 
belted  earth.  The  life  within  is  still  the  same,  has 
shaped  the  organism  for  noble  ends,  and  only 
awaits  the  touch  of  favoring  intellectual  conditions 
to  display  its  native  and  original  qualities  of  rea- 
son and  conscience. 

Whence  have  come  these  latent  powers  ?  They 
have  never  been  used  in  the  "  struggle  for  exist- 
ence." They  have  not  "  survived  "  because  they 
were  the  "  fittest."  They  have  not  grown  along 
the  "  lines  of  least  resistance,"  for  the  possessors  of 
these  latent  intellectual  powers  were  totally  igno- 
rant of  their  existence.  They  have  not  resulted 
from  "  nervous  currents  "  acquiring  habits  of  run- 
ning in  the  same   channels,    nor   from    "psychic 


EVOLUTION— SPENCER.  39 

states"  determining  their  "cohesions,"  for  until 
the  touch  of  other  life  they  were  unknown  and 
could  not  have  developed  from  sensation  or  ex- 
perience. Manifestly  they  belong  to  the  life  of 
man,  and  cannot  be  extirpated  by  the  harshest 
conditions  of  environment.  They  are  not  the 
creatures  of  external  circumstances,  for  they  sur- 
vive in  spite  of  these  ;  and  thus  prove  beyond  con- 
troversy that  the  life  of  man  possesses  inherent, 
essential  qualities  which  exert  a  differentiating 
power  upon  the  protoplasm  which  it  uses,  and  out 
of  which  it  shapes  an  organism  adapted  to  its  pur- 
poses. In  the  words  of  Reynolds, — "  Living  sub- 
stances when  dead  can  be  converted  into  carbonic 
acid,  water,  and  ammonia;  but  it  is  impossible  so 
to  bring  them  together  that  they  give  rise  to  the 
living  substance.  Our  organization  transmits  im- 
pressions from  without  into  sensation  within  ;  but 
life  is  not  the  organism,  nor  impression,  nor  sen- 
sation, it  is  the  master  principle  or  secret  of  all — 
an  original,  specific,  self-propagating  endowment  " 
(J.  W.  Reynolds,  "  Supernatural  in  Nature,"  p.  328). 
Life  cannot  be  weighed  in  a  balance,  nor  measured 
by  a  scale,  nor  tested  in  a  crucible,  nor  brought 
forth  to  view  from  brain  or  heart  upon  the  point 
of  a  scalpel,  nor  seen  by  a  microscope. 

Man's  life  is  threefold.  It  clothes  itself,  as  we 
have  seen,  in  a  body,  which  it  animates  with  a 
soul,  in  which  again  it  dwells  in  a  spirit.  Man  is 
not  therefore  three  persons,  but  he  has  three  nat- 
ures in  one  person.  Between  the  instinct  of  the 
brute,  not  knowing  itself,  and  the  self-determining 
consciousness  of  man,  surveying  the  past  and  fu- 


40   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

ture,  there  is  an  impassable  gulf  fixed  over  which 
Evolution  has  so  far  failed  to  throw  a  bridge. 

2.  Human  nature  is  now  only  in  its  inchoate  and 
imperfect  condition.  All  other  creatures  find  the 
full  content  of  nature  in  the  life  they  live.  Food 
and  shelter  being  sufficient,  and  desire  appeased  by 
the  satisfaction  of  appetite  the  brute  lies  down  to 
sleep  until  a  recurrence  of  hunger  prompt  to  fresh 
exertion.  The  life  of  ox  or  hog  is  rounded  with 
a  sleep.  But  in  the  beautiful  words  of  Pritchard, 
quoted  by  Reynolds  ("  Supernatural  in  Nature," 
p.  336) :  "  There  stir  within  us  yearnings  irre- 
pressible, longings  unutterable,  a  curiosity  unsat- 
isfied and  unsatiable  by  all  we  see.  These  appe- 
tites, passions,  and  affections  come  to  us,  not  as 
Socrates  and  Plato  supposed,  nor  as  our  own  great 
poet  Wordsworth  says,  from  the  dim  recollection 
of  some  former  state  of  being  : — 

Our  birth  is  but  a  sleep  and  a  forgetting. 

The  soul  that  rises  with  us,  our  life's  star, 
Hath  had  elsewhere  its  setting, 

And  cometh  from  afar. 

Still  less  do  they  come  from  the  delusive  inheri- 
tance of  our  progenitors.  They  are  the  indica- 
tions of  something  within  us  akin  to  something 
immeasurably  beyond  us ;  tokens  of  something 
attainable  yet  not  hitherto  attained ;  signs  of  a 
potential  fellowship  with  spirits  nobler  and  more 
glorious  than  our  own  ;  they  are  the  title-deeds  of 
our  presumptive  heirship  to  some  brighter  world 
than  any  that  has  yet  been  formed  among  the 
starry  spangles  of  the  sky." 


EVOLUTION—SPENCER.  4 1 

If  it  be  indeed  true,  that  we  are  only  im- 
proved "  lemurs  or  something  lower,"  as  Brunton 
has  affirmed,  whence  have  these  strange  qualities 
been  obtained  ?  Assuredly  they  point  backward, 
notwithstanding  the  eloquence  of  the  preceding 
lines.  They  tell  their  own  grand  story  of  our 
origin,  while  they  also  point  forward  to  the  glory 
of  our  destiny. 

Scientific  content  is  simply  impossible  to  man 
in  his  present  state. 

In  the  lower  walks  of  life  we  must  search  in  vain 
for  the  fulness  of  the  soul.  When  toil  is  hardest 
and  the  "  struggle  for  existence  "  most  severe,  even 
then  the  soul  feels  the  pulse  of  spiritual  desire,  and 
cannot  be  made  content  with  the  gratification  of 
the  merely  animal  part  of  its  life.  Pass  to  higher 
things,  surround  the  individual  with  all  the  com- 
forts of  wealth  and  position,  and  still  the  same 
aching  void  remains  ;  the  heart  is  restless.  The 
aspirations  of  hope  point  to  joys  not  yet  reached  ; 
the  forebodings  of  conscience  tell  of  a  judgment  to 
come.  But  the  merest  verge  of  life  and  its  possi- 
bilities have  been  touched.  Can  the  scientific  mind 
rest  in  its  achievements  and  lay  down  its  instru- 
ments ?  Can  the  philosophical  spirit  be  content 
with  its  unification  of  the  universe  ?  Has  the 
saint  yet  reached  that  point  where  faith  is  lost  in 
sight,  and  hope  in  full  fruition,  and  love  in  abso- 
lute unity  with  its  object  ?  Scientific  and  philo- 
sophical content  are  not  given  to  man  here.  His 
powers  are  only  in  their  infancy.  Moral  and  spir- 
itual content  are  not  given  to  him  here.  The 
powers  of  conscience   and  spirit  await  their  full 


42    THE  PHILOSOPHY   OF    THE  INCARNATION. 

maturity  when  the  appointed  time  shall  come. 
To  quote  Reynolds  again :  "  We  recognize  fac- 
ulties in  man  possessed  by  none  other;  myster- 
ious windings  of  intellectual  and  moral  being; 
powers  elsewhere  only  found  in  feeblest  resem- 
blance, fill  him  with  joy,  or  cast  into  depths  of 
despair,  as  he  stands  apart  and  alone  in  peculiar 
responsibility.  Conscious  of  duty,  and  the  neces- 
sity of  self-sacrifice,  he  searches  for  the  unseen, 
and  looks  to  the  future.  He  not  merely  drifts  or 
floats  on  the  stream  of  life,  but  controls  weariness 
and  dissatisfaction  by  a  joyful  belief  in  the  Eternal. 
There  are  two  worlds  and  two  lives — he  belongs 
to  both,  whether  he  will  or  not ;  he  must  not,  can- 
not sink  to  the  brute." — ("  Supernatural  in  Na- 
ture," p.  340). 

3.  If  now  we  look  at  Scripture  and  listen  for 
a  moment  to  the  Divine  Word  as  speaking  in  the 
Council  of  the  Eternal  Trinity — "  Let  us  make 
man  in  our  image,  after  our  likeness  " — we  can- 
not but  feel  the  sublime  dignity  of  the  announce- 
ment. In  the  words  of  Westcott  ("  Christus  Con- 
summator,"  p.  104):  "In  this  august  declaration 
of  God's  purpose  and  God's  work  we  have  set  be- 
fore us,  clear  beyond  controversy,  the  primal  en- 
dowment and  the  final  goal  of  humanity.  We 
are  taught  that  man  received,  received  inalienably 
as  man,  a  fitness  for  gaining,  through  growth  and 
discipline  and  continuous  benediction,  union  with 
God.  God's  image  was  given  to  him  that  he 
might  gain  God's  likeness.  This  original  capacity 
of  man  was  the  measure  of  the  love  of  God  for 
His  creature.     Sin  could  not  increase  it  :  nothing 


EVOLUTION— SPENCER.  43 

less  than  personal  union  with  God  could  fulfil  it. 
The  fitness  and  the  necessity  of  the  Incarnation 
exist,  therefore,  from  the  moment  when  man  was 
made.  The  Incarnation,  in  other  words,  when  we 
use  the  term  in  the  most  general  sense,  apart  from 
every  thought  of  suffering  and  humiliation,  cor- 
responds with  the  perfection  of  man  as  he  was 
constituted  at  first,  and  not  merely  with  the  res- 
toration of  man  who  had  missed  his  end." 

The  purpose  of  God  in  the  creation  of  Man  is 
thus  made  plain  to  us.  The  Archetype  of  human- 
ity is  seen  in  the  Incarnation.  The  Manifestation 
of  God  in  Nature  and  the  revelation  of  God  in 
Christ  are  thus  unveiled  as  part  of  the  original 
plan  of  the  universe,  and  not  as  an  expedient 
devised  by  Infinite  Wisdom  and  Love  to  remedy 
a  defect  or  remove  a  curse. 

The  "  Power  which  the  universe  manifests  to 
us,"  and  which  men  groping  in  the  dark  have  con- 
fessed but  failed  to  find,  here  draws  aside  the  veil 
which  conceals  from  mortal  view  His  "  light  in- 
effable which  no  man  can  look  upon  and  live,"  and 
allows  such  modified  vision  through  "  the  clouds 
and  darkness  which  are  round  about  Him  "  as  our 
poor  eyes  may  see  in  the  "  Face  of  Jesus  Christ." 
Have  men  of  Science  felt  the  throbbing  energy  of 
some  unknown  Force,  and  tried  to  observe  the 
method  of  its  working  by  carefully  classifying 
effects  and  noting  phenomena  ?  Here  is  the 
Source  of  all  life  and  being  revealed,  "  Who  doeth 
all  things  according  to  the  counsel  of  His  own 
will." 

Have  men  of  philosophic  mind,  being  unable  to 


44  THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

transcend  the  limits  of  finite  faculties,  been  in- 
clined to  pronounce  all  knowledge  of  the  Infinite 
impossible  to  man  ?  Here  is  Man  made  the 
medium  of  revelation,  that  we  may  "  hear  in  our 
own  tongue,"  and  therefore  the  better  understand, 
"  the  wonderful  works  of  God." 

Have  some  again  denied  personality  to  the 
"  Reason  "  they  confessed  as  immanent  and  en- 
ergizing in  Nature,  and  thus  confounded  thought 
with  being  ?  Here  is  the  Personality  plainly 
"  lifted  up  from  the  earth  "  that  all  men  may  come 
unto  Him  and  listen  to  the  words  of  gracious 
assurance — "  He  that  hath  seen  Me  hath  seen  the 
Father." 

Have  thoughtful  men  felt  that  the  human  lives 
we  are  called  upon  to  live  are  broken  lives, 
fragmentary  things  and  hollow,  offering  no  suffi- 
cient fulness  of  content  in  any  of  their  great 
divisions  ?  Here  is  offered  the  solution.  The 
Incarnation  is  the  model ;  and  the  present  condi- 
tion of  tears  and  trial  is  but  the  seed  of  an  im- 
mortal future. 


LECTURE  III. 

IDEALISM— HEGEL. 

"  Christ  is  all,  and  in  all." — Col.  iii.  n. 

THE  philosophy  of  Spencer,  already  briefly  re- 
viewed, has  been  called  a  "  Transfigured 
Realism."  It  assumes  an  unknown  and  unknow- 
able Force  outside  of  and  underlying  all  phenom- 
ena, yet  operative  continuously.  As  nothing 
whatever  can  be  known  about  this  mysterious 
power  it  is  of  value  only  as  the  expression  of  our 
ignorance. 

Finding  material  substance  ready  to  his  hand 
with  this  Force  persistent  in  it  the  philosopher 
found  no  serious  difficulty  in  unfolding  or  evolving 
from  this  seminal  principle  the  phenomena  of  the 
universe.  "No  great  difficulty,"  I  say,  because 
he  had  carefully  rolled  up  in  the  primitive  "  fire 
mist,"  by  the  agency  of  the  "  Unknowable,"  all  the 
potentialities  subsequently  rolled  out  in  the  pass- 
ing ages.  This  has  been  well  described  as  "  He- 
gel ianism  in  physiology,"  worked  out,  indeed,  by 
observation  instead  of  being  developed  h  priori 
from  the  depths  of  the  inner  consciousness.  He- 
gelianism  is  so  vast  and  abstruse  that  any  attempt 
at  a  brief  synopsis  must  be  of  little  value.  Yet  by 
the  aid  of   Wallace  and   Stirling  abroad,  and  of 


46    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCAkHATIOtf. 

Bowen  of  Harvard,  we  may  gather  a  few  salient 
points  not  altogether  useless.  Those  who  wish  to 
pursue  this  philosophy  farther  than  is  here  possible 
are  referred  to  the  writers  named,  from  whom  I 
condense  in  the  main  what  is  here  presented. 

I.  Professor  Bowen  speaks  as  follows  ("  Modern 
Philosophy,"  p.  361):  "Beginning  with  the  lof- 
tiest of  all  abstractions,  with  pure  and  universal 
Being,  which,  because  absolutely  indeterminate  or 
without  attributes,  is  not  distinguishable  from 
Non-being,  the  mere  process  of  thinking  develops 
this  shadow  of  a  shade  into  the  world  of  concrete 
realities  which  appear  to  be  manifested  to  sense." 
Again  (p.  363)  :  "  The  law  of  trichotomy,  which 
is  the  basis  of  the  Hegelian  logic,  enables  us  to  take 
up  any  two  contradictory  ideas  and  melt  them 
into  one  synthetic  notion,  which  includes  them 
both."  Again  (p.  370)  :  The  absolute  Idea  of 
Hegel,  unlike  the  universal  substance  of  Spinoza, 
is  essentially  subjective ;  it  is  Spirit  or  Ego.  Hence 
the  proper  name  of  the  system  is  '  Absolute  Ideal- 
ism.' Now,  all  Spirit  or  Thought  is  one,  individ- 
ual differences  .  .  .  being  merged  in  the  uni- 
versality of  the  Absolute.  Hence,  the  mind  of 
man,  because  it  is  identical  with  the  divine  or 
universal  thought,  can  think  over  again,  or  recreate 
in  thought  the  movement  which  first  constituted, 
and  still  constitutes,  the  real  and  ideal  universe. 
.  .  .  No  finite  being  can  exhaust  in  thought 
the  reality  of  all  that  exists,  and  still  less  can  it 
comprehend  the  possibility  and  reality  of  all 
things.  Then  there  must  be  an  infinite  intelli- 
gence, which  perfectly  conceives  all  possibility  as 


IDEALISM— HEGEL.  47 

possible,  and  all  reality  as  real;  and  this  intelli- 
gence is  God.  But  according  to  what  we  have 
now  learned,  all  difference  and  plurality  being  done 
away  with,  the  divine  and  the  human  are  one,  and 
man's  spirit  itself  is  identical  with  this  infinite  in- 
telligence. We  must  say  of  everything  which  ex- 
ists, that  it  exists  and  is  maintained  by  an  eternal 
act  of  knowledge  on  the  part  of  the  x\bsolute  ;  and 
the  spirit  of  man,  being  itself  the  Absolute,  has  the 
faculty  of  reproducing  freely,  through  speculative 
thought  this  eternal  act  of  knowledge ;  and  true 
philosophy  is  nothing  else  than  such  reproduction. 
"  The  world,"  says  Hegel,  "  is  a  flower  which  pro- 
ceeds eternally  from  a  single  germ.  This  flower 
is  the  Divine  Idea,  absolute  and  universal ;  and 
its  spontaneous  unfolding  into  full  blossom  is  the 
self-development  of  pure  thought." 

A  few  sentences  from  Stirling  will  illustrate  the 
"trichotomies"  referred  to  :  "In  a  word,  Hegel's 
system  is  a  demonstration  that  sensation  and  un- 
derstanding are  virtually  one,  the  former  being  but 
outwardly  what  the  other  is  inwardly,  and  each 
the  necessary  reciprocal  counterpart  of  the  other  " 
("  Secret  of  Hegel,"  Vol.  II.,  p.  38).  Again,  on  the 
next  page  :  "  If  pure  Being  be  the  first,  according 
to  the  law  of  the  Notion,  its  own  opposite,  or  Non- 
being,  must  be  the  second,  and  the  third  must  be 
a  new  principle  that  concretely  contains  both  ;  or 
the  third  must  be  a  species  of  which  the  first  is 
the  genus  and  the  second  the  differentia.  .  .  . 
Every  Becoming  at  once  is  and  is  not,  or  is  at  once 
Being  and  Non-being.  Here,  then,  is  the  abso- 
lutely first  triad,  the  absolutely  first  form  of  the 


48    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

always  triune  Notion ;  or  here  is  the  absolutely 
germinal  cell :  it  is  impossible  to  go  farther  back 
than  to  the  absolute  indefiniteness  that  at  once  is 
and  is  not,  but  becomes.  .  .  .  Being,  Non-be- 
ing, Becoming.  Here  is  the  trinity  as  it  must 
have  been — in  its  beginning !  "  Again  (p.  44)  : 
"  Pure  Being  and  Pure  Nothing  are  absolutely 
identical.  It  is  useless  to  say  Nothing  is  Nothing 
and  Being  is  Something :  Being  is  not  more 
Something  than  Nothing  is.  .  .  .  This,  then, 
is  the  truth  of  Being  and  Nothing :  Neither  is ; 
what  is,  is  only  their  union — and  that  is  Becom- 
ing; for  Becoming  is  Nothing  passing  into  Being, 
or  Being  passing  into  Nothing."  Again  (p.  56) : 
"  Every  finite  object  truly  is,  every  finite  object 
whatever  truly  is  not,  every  finite  object  whatever 
truly  becomes.  Nor  does  any  object  receive  such 
determination  from  us  ;  it  possesses  such  determi- 
nation in  its  own  self ;  it  has  received  such  deter- 
mination from  God,  it  has  been  so  thought  by 
God,  it  has  been  created  by  God  on  and  according 
to  these  thoughts,  Being,  Nothing,  Becoming. 
.  .  .  They  are  objective  thoughts  in  obedience 
to  which  the  whole  is  disposed.  .  .  .  They 
are  three  of  God's  thoughts  in  the  making  of  the 
universe." 

I  add  the  criticism  of  Professor  Bowen  (p.  383)  : 
"  Pure  Being  constitutes  the  first  step  :  and  this 
is  equivalent  to  Nothing,  because  it  has  no  attri- 
bute or  quality  whatsoever  whereby  it  can  be  dis- 
tinguished from  anything.  .  .  .  To  endow  it 
with  any  principle  of  motion  or  change,  and  thus 
to  render  it  capable  of  becoming  any  determinate 


IDEALISM— HEGEL.  49 

existence,  would  be  to  take  it  out  of  the  category 
of  Pure  Being.  Then  it  cannot  become  ;  it  is  in- 
capable of  heterization  ;  it  cannot  either  evolve 
'  the  other'  from  itself,  or  bring  'the  other'  again 
into  harmony  with  itself,  through  reconciling  the 
contradiction  between  them.  It  must  for  ever 
continue  to  be  that  to  which  it  was  equivalent  at 
the  outset,  namely,  Nothing.  And  the  same  diffi- 
culty emerges  if  Pure  Thought  is  regarded  as  the 
beginning  of  the  Process,  for  this  also  because  it  is 
'  Pure''  is  wholly  vague  and  indefinite,  possesses  no 
attribute  whatever,  and  so  cannot  change,  cannot 
become  any  particular  thought.  In  order  to  render 
it  capable  of  self-development,  Hegel  endows  it 
with  an  internal  principle  of  activity,  an  '  Imma- 
nent Dialectic  ;'  but  he  fails  to  see  that  it  thereby 
ceases  to  be  '  Pure,'  and  therefore  is  no  longer  '  the 
absolute  beginning '  of  things.  .  .  .  To  endow 
it  with  such  a  principle  is  already  to  create  the  uni- 
verse in  germ,  through  the  agency  of  some  unseen 
Power.  We  are  thus  brought  back  to  the  truth 
already  enunciated,  that  nothing  can  be  evolved 
which  was  not  previously  involved?  Again  (p. 
382)  :  "  The  one  assumption  is — absolute  Ideal- 
ism, that  Thought  and  Being  are  identical,  or  that 
Things  exist  only  in  Thought.  Certainly  it  is  easy 
to  explain  the  process,  and  repeat  the  act  of  cre- 
ation, when  there  is  nothing  to  create,  except  an 
evolution  of  thought  from  itself." 

This  may  suffice  to  give  us  a  tolerably  clear 
idea  of  this  system.     It  is  plain  that  it  is  a  sys- 
tem of  fatalism  ;  that  it  allows  no  place  for  per- 
sonality; that  God  cannot  be  distinguished  from 
4 


CO   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 


j 


the  universe  ;  nor  man  from  God ;  nor  good  from 
evil  ;  that  there  is  no  permanent  being,  nor  any 
enduring  substance  ;  that  God  is  simply  the  sum 
of   all   existence,  evil    included  ;   that    all    things 
which  happen  are  equally  necessary  and  equally 
good,  for  they  are  merely  "  Moments  of  the  Pro- 
cess,"  and    are    continually   passing   away  ;    that 
Theism   and  Atheism  are  equally  true  and   find 
their  synthesis  in  the  Pure  Nothing;  that  every 
form  of  Religion,  Philosophy,  and  Poetry,  every 
development  of  History  and  Politics,  are  but  fleet- 
ing shadows  equally  necessaiy  while  they  lasted, 
but  also  equally  futile,  and  happily  to  be  super- 
seded  by  the  continuous  evolution,  through  the 
power  of  the  "  Immanent  Dialectic,"  of  an  endless 
"  Becoming."     Yet  so  great  a  mind  could  hardly 
have  been  engaged   for  so  long  a  time  upon  the 
deepest  problems  without  bringing  to  light  much 
truth  of  the  greatest  value.     While  we  read   we 
are  charmed  but  not  satisfied.     The  enthusiasm  of 
Stirling,  and    the  patient  admiration  of  Wallace 
command  our  praise,  but    we  cannot   agree  with 
them.     And  when  we  pass  to  the  brilliant  pages  of 
Professor  Caird  we  still  find  that,  notwithstanding 
the  most  hearty  acquiescence  along  the  main  lines 
of  his  glowing  thought,  even  he  has  not  been  able 
to  escape  what  Professor  Harris  calls  the  "  Pan- 
theistic virus  "  of  Hegel    ("  Philosophic  Basis  of 
Theism,"    529).     Yet    this   judgment    will    strike 
many  thoughtful  readers  as  severe ;  for  Professor 
Caird  spends  much  labor  upon  the  effort  to  clear 
his  reasoning  of   this  "  virus ; "   and  if   not  quite 
successful  the  fault  is  not  his  but  that  of  his  funda- 


IDEALISM— HEGEL.  5 1 

mental  premise — the  identity  of  Thought  and 
Being.  Aside  from  this,  a  few  sentences  will 
prove  both  interesting  and  instructive  as  pointing 
the  attention  to  very  weighty  considerations  (p. 
238)  :  "  When  we  begin  to  see  in  Nature  and  Mind 
not  two  independent  things,  but  two  members  of 
one  organic  whole,  having,  indeed,  each  a  being  of 
its  own,  but  a  being  which  implies,  and  finds  itself 
in  living  relation  to,  the  other — then  and  then  only 
can  we  bring  the  two  factors  or  members  into  that 
union  which  any  real  knowledge  of  Nature  im- 
plies. Nature  in  its  very  essence  is  related  to 
Mind,  Mind  to  Nature  ;  therein  lies  the  possibility 
of  their  coherence  in  one  system."  Again  (p.  239) : 
"  As  Nature  is  realized  Mind,  so  Mind  finds  it- 
self in  Nature,  and  in  converse  with  Nature  has 
awakened  in  it  the  consciousness  of  its  own 
manifold  content.  The  speculative  solution  of 
the  problem  which  the  opposition  of  Nature  and 
finite  Mind  presents  is,  therefore,  that  Nature  is 
not  the  hard  antithesis,  but  the  reflexion  of  Mind, 
and  that  Mind  discovers  itself  in  Nature  tanquam 
in  speculo." 

He  then  proceeds  to  apply  this  principle  of 
"  organic  unity  "  to  the  problem  of  "  Religion,  or 
the  relation  of  the  Finite  Mind  to  God."  These 
are  his  words  (p.  241)  :  "  A  true  solution  can  be 
reached  only  by  apprehending  the  Divine  and  the 
Human,  the  Infinite  and  the  Finite,  as  the  mo- 
ments or  members  of  an  organic  whole,  in  which 
both  exist  at  once  in  their  distinction  and  their 
unity."  Again  (p.  243) :  "  The  true  Infinite  is 
not  the  mere  negation  of   the  Finite,  but   that 


52    THE   PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION1. 

which  is  the  organic  unity  of  the  Infinite  and  the 
Finite.  .  .  .  The  religious  impulse,  the  as- 
piration after  God  and  after  union  with  Him  as 
the  soul's  true  life,  is  grounded  in  the  very  nature 
of  man  as  a  rational  and  spiritual  being.  .  .  . 
My  life  as  a  rational  and  spiritual  being  would 
be  impossible,  and  my  relations  to  nature  and  so- 
ciety would  be  baseless,  save  on  the  pre-supposi- 
tion  of  an  Infinite  and  Absolute  Intelligence  on 
which  all  finite  thought  and  being  rest." 

These  are  indeed  weighty  words,  and  most  help- 
ful in  the  work  we  have  in  hand. 

II.  Historically  the  Idea  of  God  has  appeared 
among  mankind  in  two  broad  phases. 

i.  Innate.  Scripture  recognizes  this  quality  of 
our  nature  at  the  outset.  Instead  of  proving  the 
being  of  God  by  any  sort  of  argument,  the  sacred 
writers  assume  that  those  whom  they  address  do 
not  need  any  argument  on  the  subject.  As  they 
assume  that  man  is  intelligent,  rational,  and  re- 
ligious, and  speak  to  him  on  that  supposition,  so 
they  suppose  him  to  know  of  his  own  mind  that 
God  exists  and  is  the  Creator  of  the  universe.  In 
point  of  fact  all  tribes  and  nations  have  been  found 
in  possession  of  the  idea  of  God,  however  it  may 
have  been  depraved  in  the  case  of  degraded  races. 
A  point  of  special  interest  in  this  connection  is, 
that,  in  the  great  religions  of  the  ancient  world  of 
which  records  have  been  preserved,  the  idea  of 
God  is  purer  as  it  is  earlier.  The  root  idea  of 
Monotheism  has  not  been  "  evolved,"  as  many 
writers  on  this  subject  would  have  us  believe,  from 
"dreams"  and   "shadows,"  "clouds"  and   "sea- 


IDEA  LISM—HE  GEL.  5  3 

sons,"  and  other  mere  fears  and  superstitions  of 
the  slowly  opening  intelligence.  On  the  contrary  : 
degeneracy  marks  indelibly  the  religions  of  the 
Orient. 

I  quote  from  Cook  ("  Origins  of  Religion  and 
Language,"  p.  53)  :  "  The  moral  spiritual  system 
which  upheld  the  fundamental  principles  of  righte- 
ousness, of  moral  government,  awarding  success 
and  inflicting  punishments  simply  and  exclusively 
in  reference  to  those  principles,  was  in  no  sense  a 
development  or  progressive  advance  from  lower 
forms  of  religious  instincts,  such  as  we  are  told 
of  by  representatives  of  certain  schools  of  specula- 
tive philosophy,  or  so-called  scientific  thought. 
.  .  .  We  are  told  by  the  worshippers  of  Indra 
that  he  was  recognized  as  a  new  deity  long  after 
the  settlement  of  the  Aryans  in  India." 

When  these  Aryans  first  crossed  into  India  the 
country  must  have  impressed  them  in  a  way 
altogether  new.  The  towering  mountains  raising 
their  summits  to  the  sky,  capped  with  eternal 
snows  and  buried  in  the  clouds,  or  catching  as  on 
shields  of  burnished  silver  the  earliest  beam  of 
opening  day,  or  holding  in  the  ruddy  glow  of  fond 
embrace  the  latest,  lingering  ray  of  departing 
glory ;  the  mighty  thunders  rolling  through  their 
gloomy  gorges  and  reverberating  from  cliff  to  cliff 
in  sullen  majesty  ;  the  blazing  lightnings  leaping 
from  cloud  to  cloud  and  peak  to  peak  ;  the  melting 
snows  swelling  to  the  flood  the  ever-flowing 
rivers ;  the  inexhaustible  fertility  under  life-giving 
rains  ;  the  arid  waste  of  scorching  drought — all 
must  have  had  a  most  powerful  influence  in  shap- 


$4   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

ing  the  religious  sentiment  of  the  new  comers. 
The  God  of  their  fathers  was  superseded  by  the 
more  terrible  and  immediate  manifestations  of 
hidden  power  to  which  they  were  now  exposed. 

Dyaus,  the  God  of  living  light,  the  fontal  source 
of  all  divinity,  seems  to  be  removed  to  too  great 
a  distance,  and  his  worship  is  abandoned  for  that 
of  Indra.  As  the  Rig  Veda  says,  "  Before  Indra 
even  Dyaus  the  Asura  has  bowed  down."  Out 
of  this  debasement  increasing  evils  grew  until 
almost  all  memory  of  the  primitive  purity  was 
lost.  "  The  old  order,  with  all  its  high,  ennobling, 
purifying  influences,  was  first  modified,  then 
superseded,  and  finally  obliterated  from  the 
national  consciousness  "  (Cook,  p.  70).  In  Egypt 
a  similar  history  is  preserved.  There  is  "  complete 
proof  of  an  early,  continually  increasing,  and 
finally  a  total,  degeneracy.  We  can  put  our  finger 
on  the  very  point  at  which  the  coarsest,  most 
odious  form  of  nature  worship  was  introduced." 
.  .  .  In  documents  as  old  as  the  twelfth  dynasty, 
that  is,  about  the  time  of  Abraham,  "  we  find  the 
fundamental  principle  of  Monotheism,  the  self- 
existence  of  the  one  deity,  distinctly  asserted  ; 
and  although  accompanying  notes  show  that  that 
greatest  truth  had  previously  been  disfigured  by 
superstitious  accretions  under  the  influence  of  a 
corrupt  priesthood,  it  is  yet  clearly  and  completely 
separated  from  the  fungus  growth  of  monstrous 
and  childish  superstitions  by  which  it  was  gradually 
and  completely  superseded  "  (Cook,  p.  71). 

Again  (p.  141)  :  "  In  the  cuneiform  inscriptions 
Auramazda  stands  out  alone,  completely  distinct 


IDEA  LISM—HE  GEL.  5  5 

from  all  lower  manifestations  of  the  divinity ; 
he  is  the  sole  creator,  the  sole  ruler,  the  sole 
judge,  legislator,  and  controller  of  the  universe." 
.  .  .  "  From  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the 
inscriptions  we  find  no  trace  of  any  being  sharing 
his  power  or  approaching  his  majesty." 

The  dualism  which  placed  a  rival  principle  of 
Evil  as  co-eternal  and  co-equal  with  Auramazda 
was  of  later  growth,  and  is  a  distinct  proof  of  de- 
generacy. See  the  discussion  of  this  important 
point  in  Cook,  pp.  141-176. 

In  China  a  similar  fact  is  observed.  The  Creed, 
if  it  may  be  so  called,  of  Confucianism  recognizes 
God  as  one  and  supreme,  but  removes  him  far 
from  ordinary  life.  Thus  Legge  ("  Religions  of 
China,"  pp.  10,  1 1)  :  "  Tien  has  had  much  of  the 
force  of  the  name  Jahve  as  explained  by  God 
Himself  to  Moses.  Ti  has  presented  that  absolute 
deity  in  the  relation  to  men  of  their  lord  and  gover- 
nor. Ti  was  to  the  Chinese  fathers,  I  believe,  ex- 
actly what  God  was  to  our  fathers,  whenever  they 
took  the  great  name  on  their  lips.  Thus  the  two 
characters  (Shang-Ti)  show  us  the  religion  of  the 
ancient  Chinese  as  a  Monotheism." 

The  worship  of  the  spirits  of  the  dead  and  other 
kindred  superstitions  are  manifest  proofs  of  a  grave 
degeneracy. 

The  school  of  Laotze  is  a  reaction  from  this 
system  of  Theism  and  is  the  true  parent  of  our 
modern  Pessimism.  Of  kindred  nature  was  the 
reaction  of  Buddhism  from  the  degenerate  Mono- 
theism and  final  Pantheism  of  the  Hindoos. 

Listen  to  the  words  of  Schopenhauer,  quoted 


$6   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE   INCARNATION. 

by  W.  S.  Lilly  ("  Ancient  Religion  and  Modern 
Thought,"  p.  134):  "Oh,  how  thoroughly  is  the 
mind  here  washed  clean  of  all  early-engrafted 
Jewish  superstitions,  and  of  all  philosophy  that 
cringes  before  those  superstitions.  In  the  whole 
world  there  is  no  study  so  elevating  and  benefi- 
cial." And  again  :  "  In  India  our  religion  will 
now  and  never  strike  root :  the  primitive  wisdom 
of  the  human  race  will  never  be  pushed  aside 
there  by  the  events  of  Galilee."  Every  thinking 
person  will  agree  with  Max  Miiller's  criticism 
that  here  Schopenhauer  "  seems  to  have  allowed 
himself  to  be  carried  away  too  far  by  his  enthu- 
siasm for  the  less  known,"  and  also  that  he  "  wil- 
fully shuts  his  eyes  to  the  bright  rays  of  eternal 
truth  in  the  Gospels." 

We  pass  from  these  great  Religions  of  the 
scholarly  nations  of  ancient  times  to  a  brief  sum- 
mary of  the  belief  of  savage  tribes  on  the  great 
question  before  us.  Professor  E.  B.  Tylor,  in  his 
"  Primitive  Culture,"  has  treated  the  subject  with 
exhaustive  ability,  and  a  few  moments  cannot  be 
better  expended  than  in  listening  to  what  he  has 
to  say.  "  It  is  true,  indeed,  that  the  belief  enter- 
tained by  savage  tribes  very  often  issues  in  most 
degraded  views  of  the  nature  of  God  and  the  wor- 
ship due  to  Him.  But  this  is  only  the  natural  re- 
sult of  the  degradation  of  the  savages  themselves. 
Two  things  must  be  remembered  as  we  touch  this 
matter.  There  is  abundant  evidence  that  the 
savage  tribes  now  existing  and  best  known  are 
remnants,  in  many  instances  sadly  fallen  from  the 
traditional  memory  of  their  ancestors  ;  and  prob- 


IDEALISM — HEGEL.  $? 

ably  in  all  cases  the  evidence  of  degradation  is 
greater  than  that  of  any  improvement,  except 
when  contact  with  a  nobler  race  has  arrested  the 
downward  tendency.  And  the  second  remark  is 
that,  as  the  recognition  of  God  arises  more  fre- 
quently in  connection  with  the  operations  of  the 
moral  faculty  than  of  the  intellect,  the  debasement 
of  man's  moral  nature  was  certain  to  affect  his 
thoughts,  and  in  this  way  corrupt  his  notion  of 
God." 

Mr.  Tylor  is  careful  to  correct  the  hasty  state- 
ment of  many  writers  who  have  affirmed  that  they 
had  found  many  savage  tribes  without  any  reli- 
gion (see  pp.  422,  423  American  edition,  1874). 
He  defines  the  "  minimum  of  Religion"  as  "the 
belief  in  Spiritual  Beings."  "  Animism  "  is  the 
title  adopted  "  which  embodies  the  very  essence  of 
Spiritualistic  as  opposed  to  Materialistic  philoso- 
phy "  (p.  425).  "Animism  in  its  full  develop- 
ment, includes  the  belief  in  souls  and  in  a  future 
state,  in  controlling  deities  and  subordinate  spirits, 
these  doctrines  practically  resulting  in  some  kind 
of  active  worship." 

This  plainly  involves  the  knowledge  of  person- 
ality and  the  distinction  between  soul  and  body. 
It  does,  indeed,  confound  the  "  life "  with  the 
"  phantom."  "  As  both  belong  to  the  body  why 
should  they  not  belong  to  one  another,  and 
be  manifestations  of  one  and  the  same  soul  ? " 
Breathing,  dreams,  and  trances  afforded  opportu- 
nities for  the  growth  of  opinions  and  beliefs  as  to 
the  soul's  occasional  absence  from  the  body  during 
life.     This  same  ground  of  deep-seated  conviction 


58    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

is  manifested  in  the  language  of  all  nations.  That 
the  apparitional  human  soul  bears  the  likeness  of 
its  fleshly  body  is  the  principle  implicitly  accepted 
by  all  who  believe  it  really  and  objectively  present 
in  dreams  and  visions. 

The  destiny  of  souls  in  a  future  state  is  either 
a  simple  continuance,  a  physical  retribution,  or  a 
moral  judgment.  The  chief  continues  a  chief, 
the  slave  a  slave.  The  mutilated  warrior  is  still 
disfigured.  The  evil  done  pursues  the  criminal, 
and  judgment  ensues  according  to  the  deeds  done 
in  the  body.  The  point  of  interest  to  us  just  now 
is  that  even  the  lowest  tribes  believe  that  there  is  a 
superior  power  deciding  man's  destiny  after  death. 

We  pass  to  the  next  stage  in  the  ascending  scale 
of  religious  culture.  The  transition  from  the  fetish 
of  the  lowest  savage  to  the  idol  is  worthy  of  note. 
Thus  Mr.  Tylor  (p.  168)  :  "  Idolatry  occupies  a 
remarkable  district  in  the  history  of  religion.  It 
hardly  belongs  to  the  lowest  savagery,  which  sim- 
ply seems  not  to  have  attained  to  it,  and  it  hardly 
belongs  to  the  highest  civilization,  which  has  dis- 
carded it." 

I  add  an  acute  remark  from  Calderwood  ("  Phi- 
losophy of  the  Infinite,"  p.  506)  :  "  In  the  history 
of  our  race  the  spiritual  takes  precedence  of  the 
material — the  simple  worship  of  an  invisible  God 
comes  before  idol  worship.  That  idolatry  is  a 
lower  form  of  religion  than  the  worship  of  an  in- 
visible God  does  not  seem  open  to  doubt :  If  this 
be  granted,  it  seems  inevitable  that  we  conclude 
that  the  higher  was  the  primitive,  and  that  the 
first  movements  towards  expansion  of  the  religious 


Idealism— Hegel.  $g 

system  tend  to  degeneracy  of  religious  practice,  in 
so  far  as  they  favor  the  introduction  of  idol  wor- 
ship." 

I  sum  up  the  whole  in  the  weighty  words  of 
Mr.  Tylor  (p.  332)  :  "  Races  of  North  and  South 
America,  of  Africa,  of  Polynesia,  recognizing  a 
number  of  great  deities,  are  usually  and  reasona- 
bly considered  polytheists,  yet  under  this  defini- 
tion their  acknowledgment  of  a  Supreme  Creator 
.  .  .  would  entitle  them  at  the  same  time  to 
the  name  of  monotheists.  To  mark  off  the  doc- 
trines of  the  lower  races,  closer  definition  is  re- 
quired, assigning  the  distinctive  attributes  of  deity 
to  none  save  the  Almighty  Creator.  It  may  be 
declared  that  in  this  strict  sense  no  savage  tribe 
of  monotheists  has  been  ever  known.  Nor  are 
any  representatives  of  the  lower  culture  in  a  strict 
sense  pantheists.  The  doctrine  which  they  do 
widely  hold,  and  which  opens  to  them  a  course 
tending  in  one  or  other  of  these  directions,  is 
polytheism  culminating  in  the  rule  of  one  supreme 
divinity.  High  above  the  doctrine  of  souls,  of 
divine  manes,  of  local  nature  spirits,  of  the  great 
deities  of  class  and  element,  there  are  to  be  dis- 
cerned in  savage  theology  shadowings,  quaint  or 
majestic,  of  the  conception  of  a  Supreme  Deity, 
henceforth  to  be  traced  onward  in  expanding 
power  and  brightening  glory  along  the  history  of 
religion." 

2.  This  historical  review  points  to  the  second 
phase  of  the  divine  Idea  in  the  human  mind.  It 
has  been  revealed  to  man.  It  does  not  appear  to 
have  been  reasoned  out  from  a  study  whether  of 


60   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF   THE  INCARNATION. 

man  himself  or  of  the  universe.  It  is  a  part  of 
man's  original  endowment,  always  present  even  in 
his  ruin  and  degradation,  and,  even  when  smoth- 
ered in  superstitions,  still  reasserting  from  age  to 
age  its  presence  and  power.  There  was  written 
both  on  intellect  and  conscience  in  the  beginning 
the  profound  conception  of  God  as  the  Creator 
and  Moral  Governor  of  the  universe,  as  the  all- 
wise  and  all-holy  Being  Who  would  hear  and 
answer  prayer,  Who  would  reward  justice  and 
punish  iniquity,  and  Who  would  make  known  His 
will  to  those  who  served  Him. 

Philosophical  speculation  may  delight  to  talk  of 
God  in  abstract  terms  as  necessarily  existent,  eter- 
nal, immutable,  and  impassive,  evolving  creation 
from  His  own  essence,  though  without  designing 
it,  without  purpose,  without  affection,  and  even 
without  consciousness,  or  any  distinctive  attribute 
of  personality — all  this  philosophy  may  do,  but  it 
will  not  be  able  to  convince  mankind  ;  for  man  is 
more  than  mere  intellect.  He  must  find  in  God 
at  least  all  that  belongs  to  the  truth  of  his  own 
nature.  The  limitations  of  his  knowledge  can  only 
be  measured  by  a  tacit  reference  to  a  standard  of 
knowledge  outside  himself.  His  very  imperfec- 
tions imply  and  in  some  measure  reveal  to  him  the 
perfections  of  which  they  afford  a  broken  outline. 
Man  is  filled  with  emotion,  admiration  of  the 
beautiful  and  true,  ambition,  emulation,  wonder, 
sympathy,  pity,  love.  He  feels  awe,  reverence, 
need,  trust,  devotion.  Surely  no  finite  object  can 
satisfy  these  radical  yearnings  of  the  soul.  These 
are   not    of  artificial    or  arbitrary  growth.     They 


IDEA  LISM—IIE  GEL.  6 1 

have  always  belonged  to  man.  The  earliest  annals 
of  his  race  are  but  the  record  of  their  workings. 
Whence  come  they  ?  They  are  the  shadow  of  the 
Almighty  passing  by !  But  man  is  more  than 
these.  His  "moral  nature  reveals  to  him  a  law  of 
inherent  and  imperative  obligation,  over-riding  all 
considerations  of  prudence  or  expediency,  assum- 
ing to  bridle  his  most  vehement  desires  and  strong- 
est  passions,  and  asserting  its  own  authority  over 
all  other  laws  and  precepts  whatsoever  "  (Bowen, 
p.  53).  Whence  have  we  this?  Is  it  merely  the 
memory  of  past  penalties  surviving  in  changed 
conditions  ?  It  is  not  infused  by  education  ;  it 
cannot  be  taught.  It  is  not  derived  from  observa- 
tion ;  for  observation  can  only  teach  me  what  is; 
while  this  proclaims  something  quite  different, 
namely,  what  ought  to  be.  The  voice  of  conscience 
is  the  voice  of  God,  Whose  reflection  in  the  human 
soul  is  herein  revealed,  Who  governs  the  world  in 
righteousness,  and  by  this  law  written  upon  the 
heart  of  His  creature  manifests  His  own  nature  and 
attributes  in  holiness,  justice,  and  truth. 

Man's  history  plainly  proves  that  he  received 
from  his  Creator  a  nature  capable  of  knowing  and 
serving  Him  with  a  reverent  intelligence  and  wor- 
ship ;  that  God  revealed  Himself  to  man  when  in 
the  first  freshness  of  his  powers  He  assigned  him 
duty  and  responsibility ;  that  the  elements  of  truth 
found  among  all  people,  both  savage  and  civilized, 
are  seeds  of  the  primaeval  revelation  surviving  and 
persistent ;  that  man's  tendency  to  degenerate  has 
proved  too  strong  for  the  principles  of  truth  and 
duty  implanted  as  root  germs  in  his  nature ;  and 


62    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

finally,  that  whatever  progress  the  race  has  made 
there  is  no  evidence  that  man's  intellectual  powers 
are  greater  now  than  they  were  at  the  dawn  of 
history.  Abundant  proof  is  forthcoming  of  de- 
velopment in  t\\Qjise  of  all  his  powers,  of  a  growing 
mastery  over  the  forces  of  nature,  of  experience  in 
the  adaptation  of  means  to  ends,  and  of  the  general 
advance  in  the  knowledge  of  himself  and  of  the 
world  in  which  he  has  been  appointed  to  live. 
But  this  is  quite  different  from  the  acquisition  of 
new  faculties  whether  of  reason  or  conscience.  In 
body,  soul,  and  spirit  he  remains  what  he  was  at 
the  outset,  neither  more  nor  less  of  a  brute,  how- 
ever he  may  have  fallen  through  sin  or  risen 
through  grace.  He  knows  himself  as  a  person, 
finite  indeed  and  limited  in  many  ways,  but  having 
the  knowledge  of  the  Infinite  Father  Whose  child 
he  is,  and  in  Whose  love  he  lives,  and  moves,  and 
has  his  being.  He  is  conscious  of  this  relation,  nor 
can  sophistry  ever  rob  him  of  this  glorious  birth- 
right. He  knows  himself  as  distinct  from  God  yet 
dependent  on  Him.  Conscious  of  his  frail  and 
dying  condition  yet  assured  of  his  immortality,  he 
finds  in  God  the  only  centre  of  rational  and  satisfy- 
ing content.  Compassed  with  infirmity  yet  filled 
with  the  power  of  an  endless  life,  he  longs  for  the 
touch  of  a  vanished  hand  and  the  sound  of  a  voice 
that  is  still.  He  knows  that  the  Infinite  Being  is 
not  the  "  sum  of  all  existence"  for  he  is  conscious  of 
his  own.  He  knows  that  God  must  forever  remain 
distinct  from  His  works  however  he  may  be  imma- 
nent in  them.  He  cannot  answer  all  questions 
nor  solve  all  difficulties,  but  he  confidently  expects 


IDEALISM — HEGEL.  6$ 

to  find  both  answer  and  solution  some  time  in  the 
unfolding  future.  The  idea  of  this  solution  is 
present  with  him  in  the  very  essence  of  his  being. 
The  Ideal  or  Archetype  he  knows  must  be,  else 
the  idea  had  never  been  born.  The  Saviour  of 
the  world  is  the  only  actual  Ideal  which  has  ever 
appeared  to  human  vision.  Being  "  God  manifest 
in  the  Flesh  "  He  is  at  once  the  perfect  archetype 
and  the  most  real  of  beings.  As  God,  containing 
in  Himself  not  only  the  sum,  but  the  unity,  of  all 
attributes  He  is  the  most  real  of  all  that  the  human 
mind  can  conceive  of ;  as  Man,  He  brings  sym- 
pathy, tenderness,  and  love,  as  we  can  understand 
and  appreciate  them,  into  the  earthly  scenes  of  our 
chequered  experience,  and  at  once  reveals  in  the 
living  unity  of  His  Person  the  absolute  harmony 
of  infinite  power  and  pity,  infinite  freedom  and 
law,  infinite  holiness  and  sorrow,  infinite  purity 
and  pain. 

Man  being  finite  must  forever  find  it  difficult  to 
gain  satisfying  knowledge  of  the  Infinite  ;  com- 
passed with  infirmity  his  mental  concepts  cannot 
escape  taking  on  the  color  of  his  woes  ;  hastening 
to  decay  he  is  prone  to  attach  perishable  attributes 
to  every  object  of  his  knowledge.  Hence  the  "  or- 
ganic unity  "  of  the  Infinite  Mind  and  Nature,  how- 
ever worked  out  as  a  logical  finding  of  the  intel- 
lect, can,  only  with  the  greatest  difficulty,  be  held 
steadily  in  view.  But  the  Christ  brings  home  to 
the  mind  in  actual  realization  the  "  organic  unity" 
in  question.  He  stands  out  before  the  eye  reveal- 
ing to  us  in  actual  fact  the  "  Divine  and  Human, 
the  Infinite  and  the  Finite  as  the  moments  of  one 


64   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

organic  whole  in  which  both  exist  at  once  in  their 
distinction  and  their  unity." 

The  idea,  I  repeat,  has  been  present  with  man 
since  records  of  his  thought  have  been  preserved. 
Since  that  early  time  when  they  "  heard  the  voice 
of  the  Lord  God  walking  in  the  garden  in  the  cool 
of  the  day,"  onward  through  Hebrew  and  Oriental 
history  the  same  profound  thought  appears.  The 
incarnations  of  Vishnu  and  Krishna  are  the  partu- 
rient pains  of  the  laboring  soul.  Struggling  for- 
ward from  age  to  age  the  idea,  seeking  for  fitting 
expression,  clothes  itself  in  ever  varying  form  await- 
ing the  ripeness  of  the  years.  As  the  idea  of  man, 
laid  down  in  its  icthyic  vestment  in  the  old  Silu- 
rian rocks,  continued  to  unfold  in  each  successive 
manifestation  with  greater  clearness,  until  at  length 
the  archetype,  foreseen  from  the  beginning,  stood 
forth  in  actual  realization  ;  even  so  was  it  here. 
The  expectant  centuries  waited  "  the  fulness  of  the 
time,"  but  the  Eternal  Reason  was  not  forgetful 
of  Himself  or  them.  He  left  not  Himself  without 
witness  at  any  time.  However  a  degenerate  race 
may  have  perverted  His  goodness  and  buried  the 
primaeval  truth  in  gross  or  senseless  superstitions, 
still  some  living  seeds  survived  and  bloomed  in 
such  flower  as  they  could.  The  very  grossness  of 
that  flowering  was  itself  an  argument  to  compel 
mankind  to  "  look  for  another."  While  they  are 
valuable  as  indicating  in  what  direction  deliverance 
may  be  expected  they  are  themselves  the  best  evi- 
dence of  their  inability  to  afford  it.  Nor  must  we 
be  misled  into  supposing  these  manifestations  as 
being  in  any  sense  the  cause  of  that  great  event 


IDEALISM — HEGEL.  6$ 

which  in  some  small  measure  they  prefigured. 
Prevenient  shadows  we  are  willing  to  suppose  them, 
depending  absolutely  upon  the  substance.  The 
Ideal  to  be  realized  in  the  fulness  of  time  accounts 
for  them,  not  they  for  It.  The  Archetypal  Light 
shining  down  the  changing  ages  touches  the  mists 
and  vapors  lying  on  hill  and  dale  along  the  way, 
illuminates  their  gloom  and  gilds  their  passing 
brightness.  To  ascribe  these  occasional  glimpses 
of  better  things  to  the  vapor  and  mist  is  to  reverse 
the  truth.  Much  indeed  has  the  beauty  been  dis- 
torted, and  often  has  the  "  glory  departed  "  and 
left  one  region  or  another  in  the  darkness  of  debas- 
ing superstitions;  but  the  lustre  fell  finally  upon 
the  face  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  "  we  beheld  His  glory, 
the  glory  as  of  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father, 
full  of  grace  and  truth." 
5 


LECTURE   IV. 
THE  PERSON  OF  CHRIST. 

"The  Word  was  made  flesh."— John  i.  14. 

THE  point  of  view  of  the  three  synoptic  Gos- 
pels is  different  from  that  of  St.  John.  They 
see  the  dawn  of  the  Gospel  day,  mark  the  rise  of  the 
"  Sun  of  Righteousness,"  trace  His  course  through 
tears  and  sorrow  to  His  setting  in  blood,  note  His 
rising  again,  and  look  steadily  down  the  changing 
centuries  until  they  see  Him  coming  in  the  clouds 
with  power  and  great  glory  to  judge  the  world. 
St.  John  does  this  indeed,  but  more  also.  He 
looks  backward  to  the  eternity  before  the  dawn. 
Taking  up  the  great  truth  of  the  three  preceding 
Gospels  in  which  Christ  is  plainly  set  forth  as  the 
final  consummation  of  all  things  in  heaven  and 
earth,  St.  John  points  out  that  He  was  also  the 
First,  the  Beginning,  the  Origin  of  all  things. 
Here  is  a  truly  profound  harmony.  The  first 
three  Gospels  look  forward,  the  fourth  looks 
backward.  They  observe  the  goal,  this  the 
Source  of  all  power  and  life.  They  follow  the 
Son  of  Man  to  His  seat  upon  the  throne  of  His 
glory,  St.  John  beholds  the  Son  of  God  ere  yet 
the  world  was.  St.  John  thus  goes  back  to  the 
very  beginning  and    unveils  the  Eternal   Son  in 


THE  PERSON'  OF  CHRIST.  6j 

His  Cosmic  relation.  The  whole  plan  of  the 
universe,  ere  yet  the  foundations  of  the  world 
were  laid,  is  thus  seen  to  lie  in  its  ideal  germ  in 
Him  in  "  Whom  are  hid  all  the  treasures  of  wis- 
dom and  knowledge."  As  it  unfolds  in  regular 
order  the  various  parts  grow  out  into  dictinctness 
as  the  centuries  advance.  Creation  is  continuous 
even  as  Providence  is.  "  My  Father  worketh 
hitherto,  and  I  work,"  is  true  all  along  the  ages,  and 
will  receive  fresh  illustration  while  time  remains. 

I.  Creative  ideas  unfold  gradually.  Within  the 
range  of  our  telescopes  nebulae  still  appear  "  with- 
out form  and  void,"  mere  gaseous  envelopes  assum- 
ing spiral  or  other  movements  according  to  the 
forces  operating  within  and  without  them.  In 
our  own  solar  system  there  are  growing  worlds, 
and  dying  worlds,  and  dead  worlds.  The  crust 
of  our  earth  gives  abundant  evidence  of  the  va- 
rious manifestations  of  a  single  idea.  The  four  great 
types  of  living  creatures  exhibit  this  fact  clearly. 
The  Radiates  dispose  their  spherical  wedges  with 
great  richness  of  variety.  The  Molluscs  show  the 
symmetrical  adjustment  of  their  parts  on  each  side 
of  a  central  shaft  with  much  peculiarity  of  detail. 
The  Articulates  display  their  rings  and  nervous 
system  with  marked  distinctness  and  unbounded 
liberality  of  special  adaptation.  The  Vertebrates  il- 
lustrate still  more  forcibly  the  preservation  of  a 
fixed  idea  amid  almost  endless  variety  of  arrange- 
ment. In  each  case  there  is  a  fundamental  theme 
upon  which  the  great  Artist  plays  such  multiplied 
variations  as  to  excite  the  wonder  and  admiration 
of  all  intelligent  observers.     Creation  is  neither  a 


68    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OP  THE  INCARNATION'. 

growth  without  intelligence  to  originate  and  guide 
it,  nor  a  single  act  of  power  to  be  then  left  to  the 
operation  of  blind  forces.  Creation  is  continuous. 
Each  creature  in  its  day  and  after  its  kind  "  is 
good,"  yet  it  does  not  exhaust  the  wealth  of  the 
originating  purpose.  Others  built  on  the  same 
plan  follow  to  be  in  their  turn  superseded  by 
others  of  still  nobler  qualities.  The  divine  ideal 
is  slowly  approached  in  all  departments  of  the 
universe.  Nor  is  it  different  in  the  case  of  man. 
The  purpose  is  clearly  announced.  "  Let  us  make 
man  in  our  image."  And  so  man  appears,  made 
indeed  of  the  "  dust  of  the  ground,"  yet  breathing 
also  a  higher  "  breath  of  life  "  than  any  creature 
which  had  preceded  him.  Placed  in  the  world  on 
probation,  man  was  to  develop  his  various  powers 
in  the  school  of  experience,  and  to  acquire  quali- 
ties of  character  not  otherwise  to  be  attained.  He 
was  at  once  a  climax  and  a  prophecy ;  the  crown 
of  all  which  had  gone  before,  and  also  the  primor- 
dial form  which  gave  promise  of  that  which  was 
yet  to  come.  While  he  confessed  his  kinship  with 
the  dust,  the  plant,  the  animal,  he  claimed  also 
affinity  with  God.  Now  as  a  man  of  mature  years 
differs  from  a  child  in  that  he  possesses,  not  only 
developed  faculties  and  powers,  but  also  habits 
and  virtues  quite  impossible  to  the  child,  so  also  is 
it  with  the  race.  And  as  the  child  points  ever  be- 
yond himself  to  a  measure  and  stature  not  yet 
attained,  so  is  it  with  the  race.  And  even  when 
man  has  reached  the  zenith  of  his  ability  there  is 
in  him  the  ever  present  consciousness  that  his 
ideal  has  not  yet  been  realized.     All  this  and  much 


THE  PERSOJST  OF  CHRIST.  69 

more  makes  it  plain  that  Nature  is  not  a  system 
of  laws  and  forces  finally  and  eternally  fixed,  but 
rather  a  system  that  is  passing  through  a  teleologi- 
cal  development,  or  in  other  words,  a  continued 
creation.  New  forces  are  continually  entering 
into  operation  and  modifying  those  formerly  at 
work.  The  preceding  stages  of  creation  prepare 
the  way  for  them,  and  often  prefigure  them,  yet 
are  not  the  source  of  their  power,  but  only  the 
vehicle  of  their  manifestation.  The  original  Pow- 
er whence  they  all  proceed  is  still  continuously 
operative,  working  onward  toward  the  realization 
of  its  Ideal,  tarrying  for  a  time  now  in  this,  and 
now  in  that,  type  and  symbol,  but  resting  finally 
nowhere  ever  until  the  Son  of  God  became  the 
Son  of  Man.  "  In  terming  itself  the  new,  the  sec- 
ond creation,  Christianity  by  no  means  calls  itself 
a  disturbance  of  nature,  but  rather  the  completion 
of  the  work  of  creation ;  the  revelation  of  Christ 
and  the  Kingdom  of  Christ  it  pronounces  the  last 
potency  of  the  work  of  creation ;  which  power, 
whether  regarded  as  completing  or  as  redeeming 
the  world,  must  be  conceived  as  teleological ; 
operating  so  as  to  change  and  limit  the  lower 
forces,  in  so  far  as  these  are  in  their  essential  na- 
ture not  eternal  and  organically  complete,  but  only 
temporal  and  temporary."  ("  Christian  Dogmat- 
ics," p.  20.)  As  the  scheme  slowly  matured  local 
deviations  and  seismic  disturbances  would  occur, 
of  which  the  natural  history  of  the  earth  and  man 
gives  abundant  evidence ;  but  the  energizing  and 
self-revealing  Reason  is  not  thereby  disturbed.  All 
of  these  have  been  calculated  in  advance,  and  re- 


70   THE  PHILOSOPHY  0E  THE  INCARNATION. 

medial  agencies  planned  to  over-rule  them  to  the 
production  of  greater  good.  The  lower  must  ulti- 
mately give  place  to  the  higher,  however  for  a 
time  the  reverse  may  seem  to  hold  good.  Dead 
material  things  yield  to  chemical  forces  as  these 
again  are  controlled  by  vital,  and  those  in  turn  by 
moral  and  spiritual.  "  A  stone  cannot  die,  a  tree 
cannot  suffer,  an  animal  cannot  sin."  Yet  is  there 
no  caprice,  nor  anything  merely  arbitrary  in  these 
limitations.  In  the  words  of  Professor  Harris 
("Philosophical  Basis  of  Theism,"  p.  531): 
"  God's  thought  is  the  archetypal,  unchanging, 
and  all-comprehending  thought  of  Absolute  Rea- 
son, and  His  purpose  the  all-comprehending  pur- 
pose of  Almighty  Will  in  harmony  with  reason  ;  it 
is  the  purpose  of  perfect  wisdom  and  love.  But  the 
realization  of  that  plan  and  purpose  in  finite  crea- 
tions is  slow  and  progressive,  and  the  hindrances 
to  its  immediate  and  complete  realization  are  not 
of  God's  own  making."  The  laws  laid  down  by 
Divine  Wisdom  for  the  development  of  created 
beings  must  be  allowed  to  work  out  the  results 
which  are  natural  in  the  case.  Things  living  and 
dead,  each  after  its  kind ;  plant,  animal,  and  man, 
each  in  its  own  sphere ;  the  bond  and  free,  each  ac- 
cording to  its  own  law — all  are  guaranteed  by  Omni- 
potence space  for  development.  To  object  against 
the  power  and  goodness  of  God  that  during  this 
process  fire  burns,  or  water  drowns,  or  carbonic 
acid  stifles,  or  sin  destroys,  is  only  to  argue  that  it 
is  unworthy  of  God  to  create  the  finite  because 
infinite  power  should  not  tolerate  any  limitation  ; 
or  inconsistent  with   infinite  benevolence  that  He 


THE  PERSON  OF  CHRIST.  J I 

should  give  life  to  sentient  beings,  because  if  cap- 
able of  pleasure  they  must  also  be  liable  to  pain  ; 
or  repugnant  to  infinite  goodness  to  make  man 
free,  because  the  possibility  of  sin  (which  is  "  the 
transgression  of  the  law  ")  is  inseparable  from  free- 
dom. Such  a  method  of  reasoning  is  altogether 
erroneous.  If  carried  out  to  its  legitimate  end 
creation  would  be  impossible,  for  it  would  neces- 
sitate that  God  should  create  God,  since  He  alone 
possesses  infinite  perfection.  But  as  things  are 
"  space  for  development "  is  allowed  to  every 
creature ;  the  plan  slowly  unfolds,  and  the  Divine 
Ideal  is  reached  in  the  "  fulness  of  the  time." 

II.  The  eternal  Word  occupies  a  cosmic  rela- 
tion to  all  created  things,  and  for  this  reason 
would  have  become  incarnate  even  if  sin  had  never 
entered  to  mar  the  beauty  of  His  work.  The 
manifestation  of  God  in  nature  is  not  due  to  any 
imperfection  which  may  therein  be  found.  It  is 
owing  to  this  fact  that  those  who  fail  to  read  the 
lesson  aright  are  held  "  without  excuse."  The 
manifestation  is  clear  enough.  "  The  invisible 
things  of  Him  from  the  creation  of  the  world  are 
clearly  seen,  being  understood  by  the  things  that 
are  made,  even  His  eternal  power  and  Godhead." 
(Rom.  i.  20.)  This  remains  true,  not  because  of 
the  incomplete  or  arrested  development  occasion- 
ally found,  but  rather  notwithstanding  these. 
There  is  a  teleological  purpose  which  may  be  read 
in  the  "things  that  are  made"  by  the  reverent 
student  of  Nature,  although  from  time  to  time  he 
be  confronted  with  such  difficulties  as  have  per- 
mitted occasion  for  the  trial  of  faith.     The  eternal 


72    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

Reason  is  not  restrained   from  manifestation   be- 
cause of  the  "  intractable  nature  "  of  the  material 
universe,  nor  is  It  specially  exhibited  by  this  or  in 
consequence  of  it.     God  is  working  towards  the 
realization  of  the  Divine  Ideal  and  will  continue 
so   to   work   whatever    obstacles    may   intervene. 
The  purpose    is  fixed  and  must  be  reached  ;  the 
difficulties   by    the   way  are  dealt    with    as   they 
arise ;  they  have  not  been  its  cause,  and  they  can- 
not prevent  its  progress.      Man  is  the  most  con- 
spicuous manifestation  of  Creative  Reason  of  all 
the  creatures  known  to  us.     He  is  rational,  free, 
moral,   and  spiritual,  in  all  of  which  he   reflects 
the  "  image "  of  his  Creator  in  a  way  peculiarly 
his  own.     Here  we  have  not  merely  evidences  of 
skill  in  mechanical  adjustment,  or  exhibitions  of 
power  in  the  control  of  gigantic  forces,  or  results 
of  wisdom  in  the  adaptation  of  complicated  means 
to  ends  difficult  to  reach,  or  traces   of   aesthetic 
taste   which    covers   the    glowing    summits    and 
gloomy  gorges  of  the  rugged  earth  with   a  thin 
poetic  haze.     All  of  these  and  much  more  even  a 
superficial    view   of    this   poor   world    will    make 
known.     But   in    man   as    rational,  we   have   ex- 
perience of  the  power  which  energizes  in  nature 
and  has  created  all  things  ;  in  man  as  free,  we  have 
personal  knowledge  of  the  force  we  call  will  which 
originates  movements  ;  in  man  as  moral,  we  hear 
the   echo   of  that    "  Power   not    ourselves   which 
makes  for  righteousness  ; "  in  man  as  spiritual,  we 
recognize  the  offspring  of  the  Infinite  Spirit  whom 
we  worship  and  adore.     Here,  surely,  it  is  not  too 
much  to  say  that  as  man  was  originally  made  in 


THE  PERSON  OF   CHRIST.  73 

the  likeness  of  the  Eternal  Son,  so  even  now  in 
his  ruin  he  still  preserves  some  qualities  of  kinship 
with  the  glorious  Prototype.  But  the  Archetype 
has  not  been  realized.  The  manifestation  of  God 
in  the  flesh  has  been  but  imperfectly  attained. 
Humanity  cannot  reach  to  the  full  revelation  of 
the  Divine  so  long  as  it  receive  the  Spirit  in 
"diverse  times  and  portions."  (Heb.  i.  1.)  The 
full-orbed  Ideal  was  not  actualized  in  history 
until  in  these  last  times,  "  God  spake  unto  us  by 
His  Son."  The  Incarnation  is  thus  seen  to  be  not 
merely  an  ethical  and  remedial  agency  for  the 
recovery  of  the  fallen,  profound  and  august  por- 
tions of  its  purpose  as  these  plainly  are,  but  it  lies 
at  the  very  foundation  of  the  Universe  as  the 
method  of  Gods  choice  for  the  full  revelation  of 
Himself  by  the  realization  of  Himself  in  human 
consciousness.  There  is  thus  in  the  original  con- 
cept of  the  Universe  a  metaphysical  necessity  for 
the  Incarnation.  The  fall  of  man  and  all  the 
attendant  horrors  which  have  ensued  upon  it  was 
not  the  cause  of  the  Incarnation,  however  much  it 
may  have  modified  the  actual  experience  of  the 
Son  of  Man. 

Earthquake  waves  and  the  vast  oscillations  of 
level  which  they  occasion  are  not  in  any  sense  the 
cause  of  gravitation,  yet  they  give  to  that  mighty 
force  a  multitude  of  opportunities  for  its  exercise 
which  otherwise  had  not  existed,  and  in  conse- 
quence results  of  incalculable  importance  are  ob- 
tained. 

It  is  indeed  true  that  sin  has  shattered  and 
riven  poor  humanity   to   its   centre,  that    it   has 


74   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

poured  out  its  withering  torrents  upon  the  fairest 
provinces  of  our  world,  and  spread  wreck  and  ruin 
broadcast  over  the  earth.  By  so  doing  it  has 
given  occasion  to  Incarnate  Love  to  assume  strange 
burdens  and  become  "  acquainted  with  grief,"  and 
out  of  it  have  grown  the  agony,  and  shame,  and 
horror  which  made  His  "  soul  an  offering  for  sin," 
but  it  is  no  more  the  cause  of  the  Incarnation  than 
seismic  shudderings  are  the  cause  of  gravitation. 
In  the  words  of  Martensen  ("  Christian  Dogmatics," 
p.  261):  "If  we  recognize  that  apart  altogether 
from  sin,  the  union  of  the  human  race  with  God 
is  involved  in  the  idea  of  the  perfection  of  the 
world ;  if,  further,  we  are  convinced  that  this 
union  is  to  be  one  not  merely  of  sentiment  and 
thought,  but  also  of  human  nature  in  its  entirety, 
that  it  must  accordingly  embrace  the  body  of 
man,  which  is  to  be  fitted  to  become  a  temple  of 
the  divine  fulness  ;  we  are  led  back  again  to  the 
Only  Begotten  One,  who  appeared  in  the  midst  of 
the  process  of  human  development  as  the  Incarna- 
tion of  the  divine  nature,  as  the  beginner  of  the 
world's  perfection,  and  as  the  personal  manifesta- 
tion and  embodiment  of  the  goal  of  the  ways  of 
God  with  man  ;  and  who,  by  continuing  to  work 
through  the  medium  of  the  new  economy  of  crea- 
tion which  He  inaugurated,  is  still  the  Medi- 
ator of  the  completion  of  the  whole  Kingdom, 
and  of  every  individual  member  thereof." 

III.  The  testimony  of  pre-Christian  history  forc- 
ibly illustrates  the  presence  of  this  power.  "  The 
whole  pre-Christian  world  aspired  after  Christian- 
ity; in  it  the  common  aenigma  of  all  pre-Christian 


THE  PERSON  OF   CHRIST.  7$ 

religions  is  solved  ;  ...  in  it  lies  the  key  by 
which  all  these  religions  may  be  better  understood 
than  they  could  understand  themselves."  (Dorner, 
"  Person  of  Christ,"  p.  3.)  Yet  it  remains  true, 
notwithstanding  all  which  has  been  said  to  the  con- 
trary, that  the  ground-idea  of  Christianity  cannot 
be  derived  from  any  or  all  of  them  though  it  be 
shadowed  and  desired  in  each.  The  Orientals 
brought  God  down  to  earth  and  accounted  for  all 
phenomena  as  modes  of  the  divine  manifestation. 
A  marked  similarity  to  modes  of  thought  with 
which  we  are  familiar  is  also  a  striking  feature. 
We  find  the  incarnation  of  the  second  member  of 
the  Trimurti ;  Vishnu  becomes  man,  and  thus  we 
have  the  idea  of  the  God-man  as  a  divine  conde- 
scension ;  but  this  incarnation  is  no  true  assump- 
tion of  humanity,  for  it  is  not  permanent.  The 
same  is  true  of  Crishna  who  returns  to  his  heaven 
and  lays  aside  the  humanity  which  had  been  tem- 
porarily assumed.  Here  the  thought  that  God 
must  become  man  seems  ever  present  as  the  shad- 
ow of  some  profound  reality,  but  every  attempt  at 
its  realization  proves  illusive.  The  ground-idea  of 
Christianity — the  absolute  incorporation  in  the 
unity  of  the  Divine  Personality  of  the  nature  of 
man  in  eternal  and  organic  power — this  was  not 
even  dreamed  of  in  Oriental  philosophy. 

On  the  other  hand  the  Occidental  nations  sought 
the  solace  of  their  restlessness  in  the  elevation  of 
humanity  to  the  skies.  "  Here  the  starting  point 
is  not  that  of  patient  resignation,  but  that  of  the 
self-consciousness  of  the  free  subjective  spirit,  which 
seeks  to  bring  forth   its  inner  ideal  world-form  it- 


?6   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION: 

self,  and  so  to  become  worthy  of  participating  in 
the  blessed  life  of  the  gods."  (Dorner,  p.  9.)  But 
this  necessarily  failed,  for  the  multiplication  of  the 
finite  can  never  reach  the  Infinite,  nor  can  the 
creature  by  any  conceivable  elevation  of  its  noblest 
specimens  attain  to  the  rights  of  the  Creator.  Yet 
the  "  coming  event  has  here  cast  its  shadow  be- 
fore ; "  what  the  Occident  could  not  attain  it  nev- 
ertheless plainly  yearned  after  with  very  intense 
desire ;  the  Apotheosis  was  the  nearest  approach 
to  its  ideal  possible  to  Hellenism.  "  The  Hellenic 
setting  out  from  man  and  his  power  ends  where  the 
Oriental  began — but  there  also  found  its  grave." 
(Dorner,  p.  9.)  The  error  of  both  was  the  same 
— the  failure  to  distinguish  rightly  between  the 
Creature  and  the  Creator.  The  Pantheistic  con- 
cept confounds  God  with  the  world,  the  Polythe- 
istic on  the  other  hand  confounds  the  world  with 
God.  Between  them  they  complete  the  cycle  of 
the  heathen  world.  In  the  words  of  Dorner 
(p.  10)  :  "  Returning  to  its  poor  unsatisfying  be- 
ginning, it  has  pronounced  judgment  on  itself — 
and  the  sentence  is  one  which  all  history  confirms, 
viz. :  that  it  has  not  attained  to  the  true  idea  of  the 
God-man,  though  its  entire  spiritual  history  has 
unmistakably  its  meaning  in  this,  that  it  seeks  the 
inner  and  true  interpretation  of  the  Divine  and 
the  human."  Again  (p.  45) :  "  And  so,  in  the 
retrospect  of  all  religious  history  before  Christ, 
we  find  this  a  Preparatio  Evangelica  in  the  fullest 
sense,  and  as  serving  for  a  proof  that  Christianity 
gives  expression  to  that  which  all  religions  seek, 
that  it  embraces  within  itself  whatever  is  true  in 


THE  PERSON  OF  CHRIST.  J  J 

Heathenism  and  Judaism ;  but  not  less  for  a  proof 
also  that  the  idea  of  the  God-man,  which  so  pecu- 
liarly characterizes  Christianity,  has  not  emerged 
from  without  Christianity,  but  wholly  from  within 
it.  To  Christianity  this  idea  is  original  and  essen- 
tial. The  beginning  was  the  fact,  and  the  fact 
gave  the  knowledge." 

The  cosmic  and  historic  significance  of  the  In- 
carnation must  now  seem  sufficiently  apparent. 
We  proceed  to  a  more  direct  examination  of  the 

IV.  Birth  in  time. 

It  does  not  fall  within  our  purpose  to  trace  out 
the  evidences  from  prophecy  and  miracles  or  to  state 
the  arguments  by  which  these  have  been  illustrated 
and  defended.  Those  desiring  solid  and  reliable  in- 
formation on  these  topics  are  referred  to  the  well- 
known  pages  of  Liddon  and  kindred  writers. 

Indeed  prophecy  and  miracles  seem  to  be  rather 
the  small  things  which  come  in  as  make-weights  in 
the  grand  argument.  They  are  necessarily  depen- 
dent upon  methods  of  interpretation  of  ancient 
documents  and  symbols  which  must  vary  more  or 
less  with  advancing  knowledge.  They  are  parts  of 
the  grand  movement  of  the  universe  towards  its 
goal,  and  appear  as  the  fitting  prelude  and  accom- 
paniment of  mighty  epochs  in  its  progress.  But  to 
make  the  central  fact  towards  which  all  history  be- 
fore and  after  points  depend  for  its  witness  upon 
these,  is  to  mistake  their  purpose  and  value.  The 
fact  is  its  own  witness — the  Life  proves  Itself — the 
Christ  is  the  Light  of  the  world  and  is  His  own 
grand  demonstration.  "  If  anyone  will  do  His 
will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine." 


?$   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

i.  The  Ideal  and  the  Real  here  unite  in  the 
Actual. 

The  ideal  of  humanity  was  given  in  the  result  of 
the  original  Divine  counsel — "  Let  us  make  man  in 
our  image,  after  our  likeness."  The  "  image,"  in- 
deed, was  attained  at  once,  but  the  "  likeness " 
never,  until  "  the  fulness  of  the  time."  We  find 
in  Adam  a  created  life  made  upon  a  divine  model  ; 
and  we  find  this  life  required  by  the  terms  of  its 
creation  to  grow  into  the  "  likeness  "  in  actual  fact 
which  has  been  set  for  its  goal.  The  Ideal  is  the 
realization  in  the  human  of  the  Divine  "  likeness." 
How  far  Adam  failed  of  attaining  to  this  is  matter 
of  history.  But  the  Divine  purpose  is  not  thereby 
defeated.  The  abuse  of  freedom  affords  a  new  and 
wider  field  for  the  illustration  of  perfect  freedom 
in  harmony  with  perfect  service.  The  Divine 
Providence  surveying  things  before  and  after  over- 
rules the  moral  obliquities  of  man  and  leads  the 
race  upward  through  these  to  a  purer  air.  The 
cross  was  laid  upon  the  heart  of  God  long  ages 
before  it  was  set  up  on  Calvary.  The  Eternal  Son 
was  prepared,  even  before  the  foundations  of  the 
world  were  laid,  to  take  upon  Himself  the  awful 
burden  of  Love  for  Love's  sake  alone.  It  is  of 
course  quite  easy  to  object,  as  is  very  commonly 
done,  that  sin  and  the  painful  trial  inseparable 
from  it  is  inconsistent  with  Divine  goodness  and 
power.  The  answer  to  this  is  well  given  by  Pro- 
fessor T.  R.  Birks  ("  Difficulties  of  Belief,"  pp.  66, 
6j)  :  "  The  highest  and  best  gift  to  created  beings 
is  freedom ;  freedom  involves  choice,  responsibility, 
and  the  possibility  of  transgression."     And  again  : 


THE  PERSON  OF  CHRIST.  79 

"  To  deny  life  to  infinite  numbers  of  holy  and 
happy  beings,  whom  His  power  could  create  and 
wisdom  govern,  and  in  whom  His  goodness  might 
delight  itself  forever,  through  the  fear  of  the  vic- 
tory of  evil  in  the  abuse  of  His  own  gifts — what 
were  this  but  for  the  Supremely  Good  to  play  the 
coward  and  the  murderer,  and  thus  to  deny  His 
own  being,  and  renounce  His  Godhead,  lest  the 
abusers  of  His  free  bounty  should  suffer  the  just 
punishment  of  their  crimes  ?  "  But  it  is  in  the 
Incarnation,  wherein  the  "  Word  was  made  flesh," 
that  we  have  the  practical  answer  of  Eternal  Love 
to  all  this  class  of  objection.  The  Ideal  of  Love  is 
self-negation — the  giving  of  itself  over  to  its  object 
— the  taking  up  into  itself  of  its  object — the  abso- 
lute losing  of  itself  that  it  may  find  itself  again  in 
transformed  and  transfigured  beauty.  And  so  the 
Christ  reveals  to  us,  what  else  had  never  reached 
our  poor  benighted  world,  the  Ideal  beauty  of  that 
matchless  power  which  stoops  in  shadowed  Love 
to  human  hearts,  and  gathering  to  it  all  their  woe, 
transfuses  through  their  sunless  depths  the  bright- 
ness of  Itself.  All  that  is  most  real  in  God — for 
"  God  is  Love ;  "- — all  that  is  most  real  in  man — an 
infinite  capacity  of  love,  but  broken  like  a  shat- 
tered vase;  all  that  is  most  ideal  in  creation — the 
reproduction  in  the  creature  of  the  Divine  like- 
ness ;  all  that  is  most  Ideal  in  Providence — the 
working  out  in  the  actual  experience  of  time  and 
the  prosaic  reality  of  pain  and  tears  and  death 
and  life  of  the  lineaments  of  that  "  likeness" — all 
of  this  we  find  in  Christ.  The  positive  realization 
on  the  plane  of  earth  and  history  of  the  unity  of 


80    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

the  Divine  and  Human — the  Ideal  and  the  Real 
united  in  the  Actual — this  is  Christ. 

2.  Nor  need  we  be  alarmed  by  those  who,  hold- 
ing a  principle  of  multitudinism,  are  ready  to  deny 
that  a  single  individual  can  exhaust  the  full  revel- 
ation of  either  God  or  man  ;  this,  if  possible  at  all, 
being  capable  of  expression  only  as  the  sum  of  all 
particulars.     The  concept  is  pantheistic,  and  may 
at  once  be  set  aside.     When  it  is  affirmed  that  "  in 
Him  dwelt  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily," 
it    is   not  intended  that  all  the  manifestations  of 
Divine  power  in  the  universe  were  contained  in 
Him,  but  only  that  the  Divine  Essence  was  con- 
tained in  His  Incarnate  being.     His  Humanity  is 
at  once  the  vehicle  for  the  Revelation  of  God  and 
Man  in  the  fulness  of  the  perfection  of  both,  and 
the  highest  stage  of  existence  and  life.     The  ob- 
jection is  based  upon  the  error  of  looking  upon  Je- 
sus Christ  as  a  Son  of  Man,  rather  than  as  the  Son 
of  Man.    It  is  humanity  which  has  been  subsumed 
in  all  the  breadth  of  its  nature.     The  manhood  has 
been  taken  into  God  ;  and  thus  has  "  God"  been 
made  "  manifest  in  the  flesh."     But,  as  is  so  often 
the  case,  this  objection  is  but  the  perverted  shadow 
of  a  profound  and  precious  truth.     I  quote  from 
Martensen  a  beautiful  and  lucid  passage  ("  Christian 
Dogmatics,"  p.  262)  :  "  As  man  was  placed  in  the 
middle  of  creation  so  that  all  other  forms  of  nature 
stand  related  to  him  as  the  parts  to  the  whole,  as 
the  scattered  rays  to  the  focus  in  which  they  are 
all  collected.     .     .     .     so  is  the  human  race  with 
its  variety  of  individual  antitheses,  activities,  and 
powers,  which  find  their  point  of  union  in  Christ, 


THE  PERSON  OF   CHRIST.  8 1 

destined  to  be  constituted  into  one  great  body,  un- 
der Him  as  the  Head.  .  .  .  His  individuality 
stands  in  the  relation  to  all  other  human  individu- 
alities in  which  the  centre  of  a  circle  stands  to  all 
the  single  points  of  the  circle.  No  otherwise  than 
on  the  ground  of  this  fundamental  individuality 
can  the  manifold  members  of  the  race  be  organic- 
ally combined  and  completed  so  as  to  form  a  King- 
dom of  God." 

3.  To  bring  this  new  power  to  our  race  He  emp- 
tied Himself  of  His  glory,  and  condescended  to 
be  "  born  of  a  pure  Virgin,"  The  sublime  wonder 
here  is,  not  that  the  Eternal  Reason  should  be  born 
of  a  "  Virgin,"  but  rather  that  He  who  "  created 
all  things  and  for  whose  pleasure  they  are,  and  were 
created "  should  condescend  to  submit  to  bind 
Himself  by  any  limitations.  The  profound  mys- 
tery is  not  in  the  birth  of  a  Virgin  Mother,  but  in 
the  Divine  Self-limitation  which  accepts  any  birth 
at  all.  For  we  must  not  suppose  that  the  divine 
attributes  were  communicated  to  the  human  nature 
in  unlimited  infinitude.  If  so  wherein  did  the 
Kevaxns  consist  ?  The  humiliation  lay  in  this  that 
the  Eternal  Son  was  willing  to  experience  growth 
and  to  make  trial  of  immature  powers.  If  the  In- 
carnation is  to  be  a  reality,  it  must  also  be  a  real- 
ity that  God  felt  the  limitations  of  human  nature 
as  His  own  limitations.  "  In  the  measure  in  which 
the  human  nature  grew  and  developed,  in  that 
measure  did  the  divine  nature  also  grow  in  it." 
"  He  did  not  possess  His  deity  outside  of  His  hu- 
manity but  His  true  humanity  was  grounded  in 
His  true  divinity.     His  personality  must,  there- 


82    THE   PHILOSOPHY  OF   THE  INCARNATION. 

fore,  be  regarded  as  the  free  moral  evolution  not  of 
single  powers,  but  of  the  fulness  of  the  powers  of 
the  deity.  ...  as  the  human  revelation  of  the 
undivided  mystery  of  the  divine  essence."  ("  Dog- 
matics," p.  270.) 

A  careful  study  of  these  few  thoughts  may  easily 
remove  man}'  of  the  greatest  difficulties  of  our  time. 

(a)  Although  the  consummate  flower  of  human- 
ity He  is  not  its  merely  natural  flower.  He  is  the 
beginning  of  the  new  creation  even  as  He  was  of 
the  old.  As  then  man  was  made  as  to  the  flesh 
by  a  re-arrangement  of  pre-existing  materials,  but 
not  thus  only;  so  here  again  as  to  the  flesh,  Our 
Lord  took  human  nature  of  the  substance  of  the 
Virgin  Mary  His  mother.  As  in  the  first  Adam 
"  God  breathed  into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of  life, 
and  man  became  a  living  soul  ;  "  so  here  again  the 
"  Holy  Ghost  shall  come  upon  thee,  and  the  power 
of  the  Highest  shall  overshadow  thee ;  therefore 
also,  that  holy  thing  which  shall  be  born  of  thee 
shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God."  And  thus  it  is 
plain,  that  there  is  no  greater  difficulty  in  this  lat- 
ter than  in  the  former  case.  In  the  former  we 
have  no  experience  as  to  the  origin  of  life  even  of 
plant  or  animal.  They  begin  we  know  not  how, 
notwithstanding  all  our  boasted  science ;  and  the 
origin  of  man  has  scientific  difficulties  surrounding 
it  peculiar  to  itself.  In  the  latter,  because  we  have 
some  experience  of  ordinary  methods,  we  rush  hast- 
ily to  the  conclusion  that  the  Power  Who  origin- 
ated life  must  be  limited  to  one  mode  of  opera- 
tion !  The  rashness  of  this  logic  is  only  surpassed 
by  its  irreverence. 


THE  PERSON  OF  CHRIST.  83 

{!?)  The  Holy  Child  grew.  "  He  increased  in 
wisdom  and  stature,  and  in  favor  with  God  and 
man."  And  as  His  human  nature  advanced,  so 
also  did  His  divine.  It  was  this  submission  to 
slow  development  which  so  grandly  ennobled  the 
whole  transaction.  It  afforded  an  actual  experi- 
ence of  the  intellectual  and  moral  trials  to  which 
we  are  all  exposed.  The  voluntary  surrender  of 
the  power  and  glory  of  God  that  He  might  in  true 
reality  enter  into  our  weakness,  feel  our  tempta- 
tions, and  learn  obedience  in  the  school  of  disci- 
pline and  painful  experience — it  was  this  which 
qualified  Him  to  be  our  guide  until  death  and  af- 
ter. 

4.  The  advocates  of  material  evolution  may 
search  in  vain  through  the  annals  of  the  past  for 
any  natural  source  of  these  phenomena.  The  pow- 
ers here  characteristically  exhibited  have  not  been 
found  on  earth  before  or  since.  Here,  indeed,  is 
something  quite  other  than  the  careful  preserva- 
tion of  any  trifling  advantage  in  the  "  struggle  for 
life."  Christ  is  not  the  resultant  of  opposing  forces 
following  the  "  line  of  least  resistance."  He  is  not 
the  product  of  nervous  currents  which  have  be- 
come "  habituated  to  flowing  together  "  until  they 
have  established  a  new  faculty  of  moral  judgment ! 

Nor  can  they  shift  their  ground  with  any  advan- 
tage, and  maintain  that,  if  they  should  concede 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  to  be  a  unique  type — the  first 
of  the  kind,  it  would  therefore  follow  that  He 
must  be  inferior  to  many  who  have  followed  Him, 
because  the  earlier  manifestations  of  the  type 
should  be  less  perfect  than  those  coming  later  and 


§4   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

therefore  more  highly  specialized.  On  this  class 
of  objection  three  observations   may  be  made  : 

(a)  It  is  not  always  true  that  a  unique  type  is 
followed  by  individuals  showing  marked  improve- 
ment. Moses  and  Isaiah  found  no  successors ; 
Homer  and  Demosthenes  failed  to  transmit  their 
eloquence ;  the  followers  of  Plato  and  Aristotle 
fell  far  below  their  model  ;  Greek  Art  died  with 
Phidias,  Praxiteles,  and  few  others  ;  Roman  power 
and  justice  fell  together :  Washington  is  dead, 
and  no  shoulders  like  his  are  found  to  carry  his 
mantle ;  the  Monks  of  the  West  have  left  a  his- 
tory, only  that  and  nothing  more.  Poets,  patriots, 
philosophers,  sages,  saints,  warriors,  rulers,  saviours 
of  mankind  have  been  greater  than  we  now  behold. 
Passing  years  and  accumulated  experience  do  not 
always  sustain  the  conclusions  of  the  theorist. 
The  Christ  may,  therefore,  have  been  both  the 
first  and  greatest  of  His  kind  notwithstanding  the 
generalizations  of  scientific  reasoners. 

{b)  But  there  is  a  profound  truth  shrouded 
under  the  objection.  The  Eternal  Son  became 
Man  not  for  His  own  sake  but  for  the  sake  of 
those  whose  nature  He  assumed.  It  was  ex- 
pressly in  order  that  the  human  type  might  take 
on  a  higher  specialization  that  He  filled  it  with 
the  power  and  unction  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  For 
the  accomplishment  of  this  purpose  He  still  "  ever- 
liveth  to  make  intercession  for  us ; "  continually 
pleads  the  great  Sacrifice  offered  before  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world,  and  realized  in  history  on  the 
cross ;  and  thus  reproduces  in  the  Church  the  ele- 
ments of  character  first  illustrated  in  His  person. 


THE  PERSON  OF  CHRIST.  85 

There  is  a  growth  in  richness  of  specialized  detail 
as  the  common  Life  realizes  Itself  in  an  endless 
succession  of  individuals. 

(c)  The  objection  might  seem  to  have  some 
force  if  it  were  affirmed  that  the  "  Advent  in 
Humiliation  "  afforded  the  full  manifestation  of 
the  Type.  On  the  contrary  His  manifestation  in 
time  required,  that  so  long  as  His  earthly,  histori- 
cal life  lasted,  there  should  be  a  contrast  between 
the  partial  and  the  completed  work.  Glimpses  of 
the  hidden  glory  are  given,  like  rifts  in  the  over- 
shadowing clouds,  whereby  the  true  import  of  His 
being  and  mission  may  be  the  better  understood. 
The  first  and  second  Advent  form  two  parts  of 
one  great  whole.  But  surely  this  fact  is  forgotten 
when  it  is  required  that  Christ  should  have  given 
demonstrative  evidence  of  His  nature  and  office 
when  He  claimed  the  allegiance  of  Jew  and  Gen- 
tile. It  is  in  fact  to  demand  that  He  reveal  Him- 
self now  in  the  same  manner  as  He  will  when  He 
comes  again  in  power  and  great  glory.  We  must 
not  expect  in  the  day  of  humiliation  the  manifesta- 
tion of  the  day  of  exaltation.  The  Miracles  of 
Christ  are  tokens  of  His  power  and  lordship  over 
Nature,  and  also  proofs  of  the  union  of  free-will 
and  law.  His  Resurrection  from  the  dead  is  not 
a  contradiction  of  human  nature,  it  is  rather  the 
illustration  of  the  law  of  that  nature  when  restored 
to  its  rightful  power  over  itself  by  the  conquest 
of  sin.  It  is  in  fact  the  solution  of  the  mystery 
of  life  and  death.  "  Christ  came  as  the  world- 
perfecting  and  world-saving  Mediator,  in  order  to 
institute  a  new  relationship  with  God  ;  in  order 


86    THE  PHILOSOPHY   OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

to  establish  not  only  a  new  consciousness  of  God, 
but  a  new  life  of  man  in  God,  whereby  the  abnor- 
mal development  of  human  nature  might  be 
stayed,  and  a  new  development  introduced,  by  the 
progressive  destruction  of  sin." 

This  enables  us  to  see  the  fundamental  distinc- 
tion between  Christ  as  prophet,  priest,  and  king, 
and  all  others  bearing  such  titles.  The  words  of 
Christ  derive  their  authority  from  the  Incarnation, 
whereas  those  of  the  prophets  derive  theirs  from 
Inspiration.  Inspiration  implies  a  fundamental 
distinction  between  God  and  man,  and  cannot 
therefore  apply  to  Him  in  Whom  God  and  Man 
are  united.  Limitations,  therefore,  are  self-as- 
sumed for  high  moral  purposes,  and  not  imposed 
by  defect  of  nature  as  is  universally  the  case  with 
prophets  and  apostles.  Hence  we  rest  with  pro- 
found confidence  in  the  confession  of  St.  John  : 
"  No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time  ;  the  only 
begotten  Son,  Who  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father, 
he  hath  declared  Him."  The  power  of  His  word 
upon  the  heart  ever  depends  upon  the  influence 
and  impress  of  His  Person,  and  the  acceptance  or 
rejection  of  His  word  cannot  be  separated  from 
the  acceptance  or  rejection  of  Himself. 


LECTURE    V. 

SIN. 

"  Father,  I  have  sinned  against  heaven,  and  before  thee." 
— Luke  xv.  18. 

/n[~"*HE  service  which  philosophy  may  render 
-L  to  faith,  consists  in  its  endeavour  to 
gather  and  arrange  the  contents  of  the  human 
mind,  which  have  their  root  in  its  tendency 
towards  God  or  towards  the  world,  into  one  com- 
plete whole.  Its  perfection  lies  in  its  attesting  to 
Christian  faith  the  developed  perception  of  its 
harmony  with  all  those  other  elements  of  life 
which  have  an  equally  true  place  as  constituent 
parts  of  human  nature.  For  the  union  of  Faith 
with  all  the  formative  forces  of  the  age,  so  far  as 
these  are  true  and  contain  living  germs  of  the 
future,  constitutes  Philosophy  properly  so  called. 
The  affections  can  only  be  at  rest  when  religion  is 
the  measure  and  standard  of  all  truth,  and  religion 
receives  its  final  solution  when  unchanged  as  to  its 
inner  truth — for  it  is  indeed  unchangeable  and  in- 
dependent of  all  the  vicissitudes  of  time — it  takes 
up  into  itself  all  wisdom  and  all  life."  (Muller, 
"  Doctrine  of  Sin,"  vol.  i.,  p.  25.)  The  attempt  to 
treat  the  fact  of  Sin  in  a  serious  way  is  likely  to 
bring  down  upon  us  the  wrath  and  ridicule  of 


88    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

scientific  admirers  of  modern  scepticism.  There 
is  no  room  for  "  sin  "  in  a  system  of  materialistic 
evolution.  "  Aborted "  organs  may  afford  some 
puzzling  difficulties  on  that  theory,  but  they  can 
hardly  be  quoted  as  illustrative  of  any  moral 
peculiarities.  "  Aberrations  of  will  "  may  indicate 
some  disturbance  of  the  usual  flow  of  "  nervous 
currents"  but  the  word  "temptation"  could 
scarcely  be  used  to  describe  the  cause. 

In  short  it  has  become  fashionable  in  certain 
quarters  to  make  light  of  sin  or  even  to  gloss  it 
over  with  softened  phrase,  because  upon  the 
principles  whether  of  materialism  or  pantheism 
there  is  really  no  place  for  it  at  all. 

But  the  most  awful  fact  of  human  experience 
refuses  to  be  set  aside  by  any  such  easy  method. 
It  will  not  be  cured  by  our  refusing  to  see  it,  nor 
cease  its  fearful  ruin  of  our  race  by  being  ignored. 
Nor  can  we  allow  ourselves  to  be  deceived  by  hav- 
ing attention  fixed  upon  the  physical  ills  we  suffer 
in  common  with  the  lower  animals  to  the  exclusion 
of  the  moral  evil  peculiar  to  man.  This,  indeed, 
is  one  melancholy  prerogative  in  which  no  mere 
brute  can  challenge  equality  with  us.  All  the 
physical  "  ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to  "  we  may  share, 
but  this  is  painfully  our  own.  Yet  it  is  not 
natural  to  man.  Whatever  hard  conditions  may 
afflict  our  earthly  lives,  whether  arising  from 
imperfect  function,  organic  defect,  disease  or 
what  not,  we  may  learn  in  some  measure  to 
reconcile  ourselves  to  a  patient  endurance  of  them 
if  no  remedy  can  be  found.  But  moral  evil  is  felt 
to  be  alien  to  our  nature ;  and  to  be  reconciled  to 


s/jv.  89 

its  presence  is  to  confess  ourselves  degraded. 
While  this  is  true  the  prevalence  of  evil  has 
tended  to  blind  the  eyes  of  the  multitude  to  its 
baseness. 

So  intimately  has  evil  entwined  itself  with 
human  nature  that,  judging  from  appearances,  it 
is  not  wonderful  that  many  have  hastily  concluded 
it  to  be  essentially  a  part  of  that  nature.  Never- 
theless the  repugnance  to  it  is  radical.  The 
sense  of  moral  obligation  rules  our  life  with  un- 
limited authority  in  so  far  as  pronouncing  judg- 
ment upon  the  quality  of  our  actions  can  rule.  It 
cannot  always  enforce  its  authority  but  it  does  not 
fail  to  make  it  felt.  While  it  cannot  always 
determine  conduct,  it  does  pronounce  on  what  it 
oueht  to  be.  The  moral  law  as  the  rule  of  the 
human  will  is  moral  good.  It  possesses  an  in- 
herent authority  of  its  own.  It  rises  in  sublime 
majesty  above  the  mind,  assigns  in  a  general  way 
the  course  of  right  and  duty,  but  leaves  the 
minute  particulars  of  each  case  to  be  considered  as 
they  arise.  Here  is  the  sphere  of  individual  re- 
sponsibility. Each  particular  case  must  be  ex- 
amined upon  its  merits,  the  general  principles  of 
the  moral  law  applied  by  the  conscience,  and  the 
decision  reached  through  the  self-determination  of 
a  rightly  instructed  will. 

The  conception  of  good  is  native  to  the  human 
mind.  To  this  the  moral  law,  proclaimed  by 
authority,  appeals.  So  true  is  this  conviction  of 
an  Absolute  Standard  of  right  of  which  the  mind 
has  immediate  knowledge  that  no  amount  of  au- 
thority could  compel  us  to  approve  an  immoral 


90   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

command.  Kant,  indeed,  maintains  the  opposite 
of  this.  He  derives  the  conception  of  the  good 
from  the  law.  But  if  this  were  so  we  could  not 
tell  whether  the  law  were  good  or  bad.  Duty  on 
which  he  lays  so  much  stress  cannot  be  decided  by 
any  appeal  to  specific  commands.  "  The  principles 
of  the  law  demand  the  obedience  of  man  in  every 
moment  of  his  life,  and  yet  they  never  descend  to 
the  minute  moral  circumstances  of  his  position  ; 
they  can  never  tell  him  in  detail  and  exhaustively 
how  he  is  to  demean  himself  in  relation  to  them." 
(Muller,  p.  33.)  Yet  if  Kant's  position  were 
sound  such  minute  instruction  would  be  impera- 
tive. 

The  moral  law  is  universal.  There  is  not  one 
law  for  the  civilized  and  another  for  the  savage; 
one  for  the  Jew  and  another  for  the  Gentile  ;  one 
for  the  educated  and  another  for  the  ignorant. 
The  individual  obligation  will  vary  in  each  case 
but  the  law  is  the  same.  The  Christian  standard 
is  only  the  pure  and  perfect  embodiment  in  the 
actual  life  of  the  Son  of  Man  of  that  one  univer- 
sal law. 

Man's  moral  degeneracy  entails  endless  difficult- 
ies in  the  execution  of  this  law.  The  allowances 
which  must  be  made  for  ignorance,  the  "  hardness 
of  the  heart,"  the  weakness  of  the  flesh,  the  power 
of  temptation — all  give  rise  to  manifold  complica- 
tions. Yet  by  none  of  these  can  the  fixed  stand- 
ard be  set  aside ;  even  when  failure  to  reach  it  is 
condoned  it  is  never  commended.  The  conscience 
must  itself  decide  upon  the  definite  duty  at  any 
given   time.      "  The   internal    perception    of   the 


S/jV.  91 

moral  law  as  a  rule  unconditionally  binding,  is  so 
essential  a  part  of  human  consciousness,  that  were 
it  wholly  wanting  in  anyone,  we  should  be  com- 
pelled to  doubt  the  completeness  of  his  human- 
ity." The  review  already  given  of  the  various 
religions  of  the  world  has  afforded  abundant  illus- 
tration  of  the  truth  of  this  statement. 

Moral  evil  manifests  itself  as  opposition  to  this 
law.  Appetite,  propensity  and  passion  demand 
a  gratification  which  reason,  judgment  and  con- 
science forbid.  Desire  is  opposed  to  duty.  The 
will  holds  the  balance,  inclines  now  this  way,  now 
that,  and  finally  yields  for  good  or  evil.  This 
subjective  element  of  free-will  is  necessarily  in- 
volved in  the  very  idea  of  sin.  Do  away  with 
this,  as  Mr.  Spencer  does,  and  sin  is  no  longer 
possible.  Man  is  then  only  a  doubtful  improve- 
ment on  his  cattle  !  They  at  least  are  not  the 
victims  of  the  moral  turpitude  which  covers  man 
with  shame  and  fills  his  spirit  with  the  anguish  of 
remorse.  It  is  quite  impossible  to  define  the 
moral  law,  even  in  its  broadest  outlines,  as  distin- 
guished from  the  laws  of  physical  nature,  without 
specifying  its  exclusive  reference  to  beings  pos- 
sessed of  will.  If  man  be  deprived  of  freedom  by 
any  defect  of  nature  or  restraint  of  force  he  is  also 
deprived  of  the  obligation  which  liberty  would 
have  entailed.  While  action  is  consciously  self- 
determined,  if  it  be  found  to  contradict  the  moral 
law,  it  is  sin  ;  but  if  the  power  of  self-determina- 
tion have  been  removed,  the  action  may  be  per- 
nicious in  the  extreme  but  it  will  not  be  rightly 
named  sin.     The  lunatic  may  kill  his  brother,  but 


92    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION". 

it  is  not  murder ;  the  helpless  may  be  compelled 
to  apply  the  torch,  but  it  is  not  arson  ;  the  weak 
may  be  forced  to  submit  to  the  brutal  violence  of 
the  strong,  and  remain  pure.  These  important 
principles  being  laid  down  we  proceed  to  consider 
Sin  in  various  aspects. 

I.  "  Sin  is  the  transgression  of  the  law."  (i  John 
iii.  4.)  St.  John  is  arguing  against  sinful  practices 
which  are  not  specifically  enumerated  in  the  Deca- 
logue. His  condemnation  of  them  is  that  they  are 
nevertheless  forbidden.  "  Whosoever  committeth 
sin  transgresseth  also  the  law."  The  law  demands 
perfect  purity  both  of  will  and  deed.  Any  viola- 
tion of  purity  is  therefore  a  breach  of  the  law, 
whether  the  special  case  be  mentioned  or  not.  A 
sinless  Example  has  been  given  to  afford  a  lucid 
interpretation  of  the  law.  To  be  "  like  Him  "  is 
the  joy  of  the  future  ;  to  purify  ourselves  "  even 
as  He  is  pure,"  the  duty  of  the  present. 

(a)  The  law  applies,  not  only  to  the  outward 
act,  as  Kant  and  others  maintain,  but  also  to  the 
inward  motive  which  prompts  to  the  outward  act. 
In  fact  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  makes  this  so 
clear  that  it  is  strange  anyone  professing  to  be  in 
any  sense  a  Christian  should  think  otherwise. 
The  law  overrules  the  deed,  but  it  goes  beyond 
this  to  the  very  being  of  the  man,  because  it  be- 
gins with  the  inner  part  of  the  act,  the  sentiment 
which  includes  the  habitual  tendency  of  the  per- 
son's will,  his  motives  and  state  of  feeling,  his  likes 
and  dislikes.  St.  Paul  to  the  Romans  (ii.  15) 
plainly  lays  down  this  principle.  The  law  is  writ- 
ten in  the  spirit  of  man,  gives  him  knowledge  of 


sin.  93 

good  and  evil  of  which  conscience  bears  witness, 
and  urges  him  to  the  fulfilment  of  the  good  by  ar- 
gument native  and  inborn. 

{b)  While  the  law  always  requires  absolute 
purity  both  of  motive  and  action,  it  recognizes 
the  distinction  between  imperfection  and  sin  ;  and 
allows  opportunity  for  growth  and  development 
in  habit  of  thought,  feeling  and  conduct.  Moral 
perfection  is  not  realized  immediately  in  any  finite 
creature.  Even  the  holy  angels  are  supposed  by 
Butler  to  have  "  acquired  habits  of  virtue,"  and 
thus  to  have  reached  a  degree  of  perfection  not 
before  attained,  though  always  sin-less.  Thus  also 
our  Lord  "  increased  in  favor  with  God  " — a  point 
seldom  noticed.  Doubtless  unfolding  powers  on 
the  line  of  moral  development  have  their  own  spe- 
cial attraction.  There  is  a  moral  integrity  distinct 
from  moral  perfection  ;  a  state  which  has  not  yet 
reached  the  ideal,  though  it  does  not  contradict  it. 
There  are  qualities  of  character  slowly  acquired 
during  this  process  of  growth  not  otherwise  to  be 
attained.  Our  Lord  "  learned  obedience  by  the 
things  which  He  suffered "  and  by  this  means 
realized  a  virtue  quite  different  from  anything 
possible  to  absolute  innocence.  Evil  cannot  there- 
fore be  defined  as  the  "  imperfection  inseparable 
from  finitude,"  or  as  a  "  failure  to  reach  the  full 
requirement  of  the  moral  law,"  or  merely  as  an 
"  incomplete  good ; ''  it  is  different  in  kind  from  all 
these,  and  is  rightly  characterized  as  "  the  trans- 
gression of  the  law." 

II.  Sin  is  also  disobedience  to  God.  Reason 
and   conscience   have   already   told  us  of  God — 


94   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

Reason  that  He  is  the  Creator  and  Ruler,  con- 
science that  He  is  the  moral  Governor  of  the 
world.  Our  own  personality  is  also  the  evidence 
of  God's  personality.  The  elements  of  personal- 
ity are  self-consciousness  and  self-determination. 
These  powers  we  possess  though  in  the  midst 
of  limitations  clearly  defined  in  consciousness. 
Whence  come  these  powers  ?  Can  the  self-con- 
scious be  derived  from  the  unconscious  ?  As  well 
seek  for  the  living  among  the  dead,  or  attempt  the 
derivation  of  mind  from  matter.  Both  have  been 
tried  with  patience  and  marked  ability,  but  abso- 
lutely without  success.  The  "  impersonal  con- 
sciousness" of  Hegel,  and  the  impersonal  "  Force" 
of  Mr.  Spencer  remain  forever  in  hopeless  contra- 
diction with  the  findings  of  human  reason.  Human 
self -consciousness  and  self-determination  which 
constitute  human  personality  imply  similar  quali- 
ties in  the  Power  which  created  them.  Reason  is 
the  appropriate  guide  of  our  self-consciousness,  and 
conscience  of  our  self-determination  or  will.  The 
will  only  realizes  its  true  ideal  when  it  identifies 
itself  with  the  contents  of  the  moral  law,  when  it 
makes  conscience  the  continual  guide  of  its  mani- 
fold activities. 

We  are  thus  led  up  to  God  as  the  author  of  the 
moral  law.  In  the  beautiful  words  of  Muller  (p. 
81),  "God  is  the  only  immediate  object  of  our 
moral  obligation,  the  foundation  of  all  other  obli- 
gations; every  moral  duty  is  a  duty  toward  God, 
and  whatever  truly  binds  us  in  our  conscience  is 
the  will  of  God  ;  obedience  to  the  law  is  obedience 
rendered  to  the  living  God,  "of  Whom,  in  Whom, 


SIM  95 

and  to  Whom  "  we  are.  The  relation  in  which  the 
rational  creature  stands  to  God  his  Creator,  when 
it  is  true  and  normal,  is  the  first  and  closest ;  from 
Him  all  moral  life  springs,  on  Him  it  depends  at 
every  point  of  its  development,  and  to  Him  it  ever 
returns  from  its  manifold  determinations  as  to  a 
fixed  centre."  ..."  All  morality  is  recog- 
nized as  unconscious  religion,  and  true  religion 
proves  itself  to  be  the  consciousness  of  morality." 
The  source  of  the  moral  law  is  now  apparent. 
Just  as  God  has  life  in  Himself  and  is  the  absolute 
and  only  source  thereof,  so  is  He  also  moral  by  the 
very  necessity  of  His  being.  The  moral  law  is  the 
expression  of  God's  will  because  that  will  is  itself 
the  exercise  of  absolute  Truth  and  Right.  The 
will  of  God  is  no  arbitrary  power,  but  forever 
moves  in  the  freedom  of  perfect  Reason.  "  It  is 
impossible  for  God  to  lie."  He  "cannot  deny 
Himself."  Absolute  Truth  and  Holiness  are  in- 
separable from  every  exercise  of  the  Absolute  Life 
and  Power.  The  original  source  of  the  moral  law 
as  thus  revealed  furnishes  a  sufficient  explanation  of 
the  unconditional  authority  which  it  asserts  in  con- 
sciousness. Human  passion  may  rise  up  in  oppo- 
sition, and  in  the  wild  fury  of  its  tempest  overthrow 
all  barriers  of  restraint.  But  in  the  midst  of  its 
wildest  rage  the  authority  of  the  moral  law  calmly 
reasserts  its  presence  and  refuses  to  be  discrowned. 
The  categorical  imperative  of  moral  right  remains 
like  some  projecting  cliff  immovable  against  the 
surge.  Though  the  dreary  waste  of  a  ruined  life 
be  strewed  with  the  wreckage  of  broken  vows  and 
shattered  resolve,  conscience  will  still  abide  to  bear 


g6    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

its  unshaken  testimony  to  the  Eternal  Will  whence 
it  came. 

Moral  evil  gathers  now  something  more  of  its 
true  import.  It  is  not  only  the  "  transgression  of 
the  law  "  prescribed  by  the  authority  of  the  Crea- 
tor for  the  government  of  the  creature,  but  it  is 
antagonism  to  the  very  essence  of  God's  nature, 
deliberate  disobedience  to  His  will  as  expressed  in 
the  human  conscience,  and  a  violation  of  the  con- 
ditions of  human  life. 

III.  It  is  the  self-assertion  of  the  creature 
against  the  fundamental  law  of  dependence.  "  Ye 
shall  be  as  gods  "  was  the  essence  of  the  original 
temptation.  The  self-will  which  denies  the  higher 
claim  of  the  Creative  will  is  the  root  of  sin. 
"  When  man  perceives  the  true  relation  in  which 
he  stands  to  his  Maker,  his  respect  for  the  uncon- 
ditional authority  of  the  law  is  transformed  into  a 
ready  obedience  to  a  personal  God.  All  the  con- 
tents of  the  moral  law  are  involved  in  the  recogni- 
tion of  this  relation  "  (Muller,  p.  108).  But  how 
shall  this  relation  be  made  clear  ?  In  man's  im- 
perfect state  of  moral  development  various  mo- 
tives affect  him.  The  fear  of  punishment,  a  vague 
dread  of  the  Creator's  power,  the  servile  feeling 
of  the  helpless  servant  to  his  master — all  of  these 
constantly  influence  men,  yet  none  of  them  can  be 
accepted  as  the  real  principle  of  the  moral  law. 
There  is  something  more  potent  than  all  of  these. 
Our  Lord  has  both  defined  and  illustrated  it.  The 
real  principle  of  the  moral  law  is  love.  "  Thou 
shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thine  heart." 
This  is  indeed  the  first  and  great  commandment. 


sin.  97 

It  embraces  all  others.  For  while  the  second  is 
plainly  stated  it  is  manifest  that  it  is  contained  in 
the  first.  God  is  not  only  the  chief  object  of 
man's  love,  but  He  is  the  absolute  and  all-embrac- 
ing object  of  this  love.  All  other  love  becomes 
holy  and  abiding  only  as  it  is  comprehended  in 
love  to  God.  A  love  which  lays  claim  to  the 
whole  inner  life — all  the  heart,  the  soul,  the  mind, 
the  strength — cannot  stand  on  a  level  with  other 
commands  however  holy  and  just  and  good,  it 
must  dominate  them  all,  and  by  penetrating  as- 
similate and  consecrate  them.  "  Love  is  the  ful- 
filling of  the  law."  It  binds  into  one  organic 
whole  the  One  and  the  All.  It  is  eternal,  while 
other  virtues  having  to  do  with  man's  temporal 
state  are  temporal.  It  is  the  essence  of  moral 
good,  being  in  itself  the  pure  willing  of  what  is 
good  and  right.  Every  kind  of  action  is  truly 
moral  only  as  it  springs  from  love.  "  God  is 
good  "  (Mark  x.  18)  because  "  He  is  Love"  (i  John 
iv.  8,  1 6),  and  His  holiness  and  righteousness  as 
they  are  realized  in  His  creatures  are  the  practi- 
cal communication  of  His  love. 

But  love  can  only  exist  between  personal  beings. 
Like  so  much  else  it  is  shadowed  in  nature  both 
in  plant  and  animal  life.  Too  often  because  of 
our  affinity  with  the  lower  portion  of  creation  have 
we  been  willing  to  grasp  the  shadow.  Too  often 
have  we  listened  to  the  voice  of  bird  and  flower  as 
though  they  summed  the  harmonies  of  the  uni- 
verse. Everywhere  in  nature  are  the  indications 
of  some  better  thing  to  come.  What  nature 
dimly  foretells  in  these  her  deepest  mysteries,  is 
7 


98    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

realized  in  consciousness,  and  raised  to  its  full 
truth  in  the  region  of  personal  existence.  Here 
we  find  an  independent  centre  of  being  possess- 
ing power  of  self-determination.  Shall  the  person 
gather  to  himself  and  hold  for  himself  all  faculties 
and  powers  ?  Being  free  he  may,  being  good  he 
will  not.  God  is  Love.  Therefore  He  creates, 
voluntarily  goes  out  of  Himself  in  order  to  live  in 
and  for  others  ;  therefore  also  He  redeems  and 
sanctifies. 

Passing  to  man  the  same  eternal  principle  holds. 
We  can  only  love  as  we  voluntarily  go  out  of  our- 
selves that  we  may  live  in  and  for  the  object  of 
our  love.  All  sacredness  of  social  relation  has  its 
root  here.  All  pure  and  profound  affection  whe- 
ther of  man  or  woman  unfolds  from  this  germ. 
Religion  and  morals  gather  here  their  fragrance 
and  beauty. 

Love  can  only  become  the  principle  of  a  higher 
life  when  it  makes  itself  manifest  in  its  true  char- 
acter. It  does  not  show  itself  in  its  fulness  until 
it  becomes  conscious  of  God  as  its  absolute  object, 
and  of  all  its  other  object  ins  their  true  relation  to 
Him.  This  is  the  very  essence  and  life  of  faith. 
"  He  that  cometh  to  God  must  believe  that  He 
is ;  "  but  why  should  anyone  trust  Him  if  He  be 
not  loved  ?  Love  to  God  is  realized  when  it 
knowingly  receives  and  appropriates  the  "grace  of 
life,"  and  in  return  surrenders  enlightened  rea- 
son and  purified  affection  to  Him  so  as  no  longer 
to  live  unto  itself  but  unto  Him. 

Indeed  on  the  theory  of  Spencer  all  this  must 
sound  as  the  wildest  nonsense.     We  cannot  bestow 


snv.  99 

the  homage  of  a  grateful  heart  upon  gravitation, 
nor  address  "  Persistent  Force  "  in  terms  of  affec- 
tion. "  Worship  of  the  silent  sort  "  is  alone  suit- 
able before  the  throne  of  the  "  Unknowable,"  and 
it  must  be  as  unfeeling  and  insensate  as  it  is  dumb. 

On  the  principles  of  Hegel  which  regard  God 
in  His  relation  to  man  only  as  a  principle  which 
gives  personality,  and  not  as  Himself  a  person 
there  is,  of  course,  no  place  for  love  to  God  as  a 
living  fellowship  between  personal  beings. 

This  vagueness  can  never  obtain  the  sanction  of 
our  consciousness.  We  know  ourselves  as  per- 
sons distinct  from  God  and  from  each  other. 
Human  love  is  not  absorption  but  unity.  The 
continued  distinctness  of  each  personality  is  essen- 
tial to  the  existence  of  the  love  which  unites  them. 
Man's  individuality  is  not  lost  in  perfect  love  to 
God,  even  could  that  be  reached.  To  "  see  Him 
as  He  is,"  to  be  "  changed  into  the  same  image 
from  glory  to  glory,"  to  "  know  even  as  also  we 
are  known,"  to  be  "perfect  even  as  our  Father  in 
Heaven  is  perfect  " — these  and  multitudes  of  other 
Scriptures  attest  at  once  the  unity  and  difference 
reached  and  realized  by  those  who  are  "  made  per- 
fect in  love." 

And  as  love  to  God  is  thus  seen  to  be  the  high- 
est moral  good  possible  to  man,  it  is  plain  that 
moral  evil  must  be  the  reverse  of  this. 

St.  Paul  to  the  Romans  (i.  23-28)  plainly  lays 
bare  the  root  of  the  matter.  "  They  changed  the 
truth  of  God  into  a  lie,  and  worshipped  and  served 
the  creature  more  than  the  Creator."  Those  who 
do  not  "  wish  to  retain  God  in  their  knowledge  " 


100   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION-. 

are  not  compelled  to  do  so  ;  but  they  will  soon 
find  that  they  cannot  maintain  the  supremacy  of 
the  spirit  over  matter.  The  inner  apostasy  of  the 
soul  from  God  is  the  root  of  all  other  moral  evil. 
The  soul  thus  torn  loose  from  its  natural  anchor- 
age drifts  helplessly  at  the  mercy  of  every  current 
and  gale.  Attention,  thought,  love,  are  now  cen- 
tred on  self.  The  Rights  of  God  and  man  are 
alike  forgotten  by  the  soul  thus  thinking  only  of 
itself.  Sin  is  manifest  in  its  true  character  when 
the  soul  withdraws  from  loving  submission  to 
God  and  chooses  its  own  way.  Two  consequences 
ensue,  the  "  foolish  heart  "  becomes  "  darkened," 
and  corrupt  passions  grow  by  indulgence  until  the 
perversion  becomes  complete,  and  the  hopeless 
reprobate  is  left  to  his  own  devices,  "  given  over 
to  vile  affections."  Sin,  therefore,  in  its  inner- 
most essence  is  selfishness.  The  sinner  may  be 
diverted  by  many  things  from  his  true  allegiance, 
but  these  are  only  means  by  which  he  seeks  a  self- 
ish pleasure.  Nor  need  this  pleasure  be  outward 
indulgence  in  things  condemned  by  the  average 
judgment  of  mankind.  The  positive  essence  of 
sin  is  in  the  fixing  of  the  soul  upon  itself.  The 
elder  brother  in  the  parable  is  free  from  the  gross- 
ness  of  the  younger,  yet  is  he  also  selfish  in  his 
self-centred  isolation,  and  is  self- excluded  from  the 
brightness  of  the  Father's  house. 

Here  we  must  distinguish  between  that  self-love 
which  is  essential  to  our  healthy  development  and 
that  selfishness  which  proves  both  sinful  and  disas- 
trous. 

There  is  a  respect  which  everyone  owes  himself. 


SIM  ioi 

In  common  with  all  other  creatures  the  instinct  of 
self-preservation  is  present  in  man  and  commands 
attention.  This,  however,  has  no  moral  character 
whatever.  It  is  simply  a  law  of  created  nature 
and  obtains  universally  among  creatures  that  have 
life.  But  we  are  conscious  of  quite  another  feel- 
ing alongside  of  this.  The  sense  of  moral  dignity 
arises  from  our  conscious  relation  to  God.  Man 
cannot  respect  his  dignity  in  the  high  moral  sense 
here  intended  except  as  he  realizes  that  he  has 
been  made  in  God's  image  and  is  required  to  main- 
tain it  undefiled.  This  sense  of  obligation  will 
often  force  from  his  compressed  lips  the  terrible 
cry  of  anguish  of  St.  Paul,  "  O  wretched  man  that  I 
am  !  who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this 
death  ?  "  And  the  answer  will  come,  as  it  alone 
can  come,  from  the  great  Source  of  all  hope  and 
life — "I  thank  God,  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  Yes,  a  true  realization  of  the  principle  of 
self-love  will  urge  us  to  give  ourselves  up  to  God, 
that  we  may  receive  back  again  from  Him  the  gift 
of  greater  ability  to  love  and  serve  Him. 

IV.  Sin  involves  guilt. 

The  conception  of  guilt  implies  that  the  sinner 
is  the  real  author  of  the  sin.  Upon  him  must  rest 
the  burden  of  responsibility.  This  involves  the 
principle  of  causation.  Man  originates  action  by 
the  exercise  of  his  will.  In  the  sphere  of  morals 
the  wilful  violation  of  the  moral  law  entails  guilt. 
I  say  the  "  wilful  violation  ; "  for  if  the  will  be 
co-erced  by  superior  power,  it  is  deprived  of  free- 
dom, and  is  not  guilty.  But  here  it  will  not  do  to 
plead   the  strength  of   evil  passions  or  other  de- 


102    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

praved  qualities  of  our  nature  in  denial ;  for  our 
moral  consciousness  bears  witness  that  these  base 
attributes  do  but  add  to  our  condemnation.  The 
sense  of  ill-desert  attaches  not  only  to  the  act  of 
transgression  or  disobedience,  or  selfish  indulgence, 
but  also  to  the  weakness  of  moral  resolve  out  of 
which  the  action  grew.  Conscience  will  not  allow 
us  to  escape  from  a  twofold  condemnation : — We 
have  separated  ourselves  from  God,  and  we  have 
disturbed  the  order  of  which  we  form  a  part. 

The  question  of  the  different  degrees  of  guilt 
which  occupies  so  large  a  place  in  theological 
literature  we  cannot  enter  upon  here. 

It  is  more  important  to  remember  that  the  de- 
gree of  guilt  by  no  means  depends  upon  our  cog- 
nizance of  it.  We  may  so  far  harden  our  hearts 
as  to  call  good  evil  and  evil  good,  but  we  are  not 
therefore  freed  from  guilt.  Even  in  such  an  ex- 
treme case  man  cannot  become  so  utterly  depraved 
as  to  be  altogether  insensible  to  moral  distinctions. 
It  must,  however,  be  confessed  that  guilt  is  far 
wider  in  its  range  among  men  than  the  personal 
consciousness  of  it  would  always  lead  us  to  infer. 
Yet  though  often  dormant,  conscience  is,  happily, 
rarely  altogether  smothered.  It  is  the  divine  bond 
which  unites  the  created  spirit — however  fallen — 
with  its  original.  And  while  there  is  nothing 
more  awful  than  its  despair,  it  is  better  to  find  it 
trembling  on  the  verge  than  sunk  in  the  stupor  of 
insensibility. 

But  how  can  this  view  of  man's  guilt  and  re- 
sponsibility be  reconciled  with  the  fact  of  Divine 
creation  and  providence  ?    If  God  be  immanent  in 


SI2V.  103 

nature,  and  if  in  Him  "  we  live  and  move  and  have 
our  being  "  how  can  He  be  held  free  from  partici- 
pation in  our  sin  ?  Must  we  not  modify  the  stern 
doctrine  here  defined  as  to  the  nature  of  sin  and 
sense  of  guilt  or  lay  some  portion  of  the  blame  on 
Him  Whose  all-embracing  Providence  ordereth 
all  things  both  in  heaven  and  earth  ? 

To  this  we  reply  that  we  must  distinguish  be- 
tween the  original  creation  of  man  and  the  provi- 
dence which  sustains  him.  "As  God's  world-sus- 
taining activity  leaves  all  natures  as  it  finds  them, 
compassing  irrational  as  well  as  rational  natures, 
the  evil  as  well  as  the  good  (Matt.  v.  45),  it  in  no 
way  destroys  nor  interferes  with  man's  responsibil- 
ity for  his  sins  whether  of  act,  of  resolve,  or  of  in- 
clination." (Muller,  p.  232.)  "Man  derives  his 
power  to  act,  to  decide,  to  desire,  from  God  alone 
every  moment  of  his  life;  but  he  desires,  or  re- 
solves upon,  or  does  evil  of  himself  '  (p.  233). 
"  God  made  man  upright,  but  they  have  sought 
out  many  inventions." 

The  grievous  character  of  Sin  is  that  it  is  an 
abuse  of  Divine  goodness.  The  mind  which  God 
has  made  with  powers  of  reason  employs  those 
powers  against  their  Author.  "  This  is  the  con- 
demnation, that  light  is  come  into  the  world,  and 
men  love  darkness  rather  than  light,  because  their 
deeds  are  evil." 

The  passionate  denial  of  God's  goodness  which 
"  leadeth  to  repentance "  because  He  does  not 
annihilate  the  wicked  is  surely  sadly  out  of  place 
in  those  who  are  the  subjects  of  His  forbearance. 

But  in  order  to  see  sin  in  its  real  nature  we  must 


104   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

obtain  a  view  of  a  nature  absolutely  free  from  sin. 
It  is  by  the  contrast  of  the  good  that  we  shall 
come  to  understand  the  true  quality  of  the  evil. 
Abstract  reasonings  on  the  nature  of  God,  crea- 
tion and  providence  are  invaluable  and  necessary 
but  they  cannot  bring  home  to  our  minds  the  true 
import  of  the  great  theme.  We  must  be  privi- 
leged to  see  absolute  Innocence  in  actual  contact 
with  sin  if  we  are  to  learn  the  true  meaning  of 
virtue  and  its  opposite.  Thus  only  can  we  hope 
in  some  measure  to  understand  how  God  may  live 
and  suffer  in  the  midst  of  human  sin  and  sorrow 
without  annihilating  the  sinner  or  being  stained 
by  contact  with  his  sin. 

The  Almighty  power  of  Love,  going  out  from 
the  glory  which  He  had  with  the  Father  before 
the  world  was,  that  He  might  give  Himself  to 
men  in  order  to  bring  them  back  to  God.  This  it 
is  which  explains  Divine  forbearance,  long  suffer- 
ing, goodness  and  mercy.  An  impersonal  "  Force" 
may  suit  the  intellect  which  forgets  its  origin ;  a 
pure  "Nothing"  may  meet  all  the  requirements 
of  a  logic  which  ignores  the  facts  of  consciousness  ; 
a  "  Stream  of  Tendency  "  may  satisfy  the  poetic 
imagination  ;  but  the  poor  Prodigal  now  "  come  to 
himself"  and  conscious  of  his  fallen  and  lost  estate 
will  bid  away  from  him  all  such  "  miserable  com- 
forters "  and  will  cry  in  tones  which  will  pierce  the 
clouds  and  darkness  round  about  His  throne — 
"  Father,  I  have  sinned  against  heaven,  and  before 
Thee,  and  am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called  Thy 
son!"  And  why?  Love  has  shed  its  burnished 
glory  athwart  the  darkened  windows  of  his  soul. 


s/jv.  105 

Love  has  touched  the  blinded  eyeballs  of  his 
reason.  Love  has  filled  with  iridescent  splendors 
the  riven  chambers  of  his  broken  heart.  Love 
has  flashed  along  the  sickening  pathway  of  his  ex- 
perience. Love  has  opened  wide  the  portals  of 
immortality.  Love,  bathed  in  tears,  and  sorrow, 
and  blood  and  death  and  life,  has  taken  him  for 
its  own. 

O  death,  where  is  thy  sting  ? 
O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory  ? 

V.  Sin  is  also  disease. 

The  laws  of  heredity  cannot  be  ignored.  The 
sins  of  the  fathers  are  visited  upon  the  children 
even  to  the  third  and  fourth  generation.  Insanity 
in  all  its  forms,  scrofula  and  brutal  passions  are 
the  natural  offspring  of  depraved  parentage.  The 
laws  of  nature  visit  penalties  upon  those  who 
violate  them  that  posterity  may  learn  wisdom. 
Here  it  is  emphatically  true  that  no  man  liveth 
unto  himself.  Though  he  spend  his  life  in  selfish 
indulgence  nature  will  warn  coming  generations 
against  a  repetition  of  his  crimes.  The  sin  once 
committed  can  never  be  forgotten.  From  age  to 
age  it  reappears  in  all  the  hateful  malignity  of  its 
true  character ;  the  truly  awful  horror  of  it  being 
seen  in  this,  that  it  withers  the  life  of  the  innocent, 
and  blights  with  the  sickening  anguish  of  despair 
the  hearts  which  have  been  guilty  of  no  crime  save 
the  miserable  accident  of  birth. 

We  may  make  what  objection  we  please  to  the 
Scriptural  account  of  the  Fall,  but  these  hard  facts 
of  human  experience  remain  to  be  accounted  for. 


106    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

On  what  theory  may  they  be  accounted  for  ? 
Some  better  explanation  must  at  least  be  at- 
tempted before  that  we  have  so  long  considered 
sufficient  be  set  aside. 

On  the  theory  of  Evolution  and  Survival  of  the 
fittest  these  anomalies  ought  to  have  been  elimin- 
ated long  ago.  Hegelianism  leaves  no  room  for 
their  existence  or  their  cure.  Shall  we  ask  the 
Science  of  Biology  ?  Professor  Drummond  will 
tell  us  that  these  evils  are  parasitic  growths,  to  be 
accounted  for  without  the  least  difficulty  on  the 
principles  of  Natural  law  in  the  Spiritual  world. 
Yet  he  will  himself  confess  that  parasites  are  the 
degenerate  scions  of  a  nobler  family.  Whence 
have  they  descended,  and  why  ?  are  the  very  ques- 
tions we  wish  to  have  answered.  How  such  a  very 
awful  degeneracy  should  exist  is  exactly  the  point 
which  science  fails  to  make  clear.  Parasites  it  is 
true  afflict  us,  but  they  are  not  natural  to  us. 
They  come  from  without,  create  serious  disturb- 
ance, and  even  destroy  life ;  but  still  they  are  for- 
eign enemies,  and  can  by  no  means  be  classed 
among  our  native  properties.  They  are  themselves 
often  a  disease,  always  produce  disease,  are  some- 
times hereditary,  but  always  unnatural  and  for- 
eign. In  these  respects  they  wonderfully  resem- 
ble sin.  If  it  first  found  life  in  the  rebellious  will 
of  a  created  angel,  and  thence  degenerating  more 
and  more,  at  length  found  lodgement  in  the  soul 
of  the  first  parents  of  our  race  whence  it  has  been 
propagated  to  all  succeeding  generations,  this  is  at 
least  as  scientific  as  any  other  exposition  of  the 
facts  we  experience  yet  offered.     It  has  now  be- 


SLV.  IO7 

come  fashionable  and  passes  for  a  sign  of  learning 
to  make  light  of  the  old  account  in  Genesis  as  be- 
ing quite  unworthy  the  attention  of  all  "  duly  ad- 
vanced intellects."  But  plain  common  sense,  to 
say  nothing  of  reverence,  should  induce  us  to  pre- 
serve what  we  have  until  something  better  is  pre- 
sented. Hence  we  maintain  that  sin  is  an  heredi- 
tary disease  with  which  our  race  is  afflicted.  The 
cf)p6v7](j.a  (rap/cos  of  which  St.  Paul  speaks  is  plainly 
proved  by  experience  to  exist  as  a  terrible  evil  in- 
herent in  the  nature  of  everyone  that  naturally  is 
engendered  of  the  offspring  of  Adam.  It  proves 
its  tremendous  power  by  the  tendency  to  degener- 
ate which  is  so  marked  a  feature  of  our  race.  Ad- 
vancement in  civilization  and  the  Arts  affords  no 
security  against  deadly  poison.  The  civilization 
which  built  the  Pyramids  fell  before  it.  The 
mighty  monarchies  of  the  Oriental  world  crum- 
bled beneath  its  power.  The  profound  intellect 
and  aesthetic  culture  of  Greece  yielded  to  its  in- 
sidious influence.  The  majesty  of  Roman  power 
sunk  into  a  cruel  luxury  born  of  this  fatal  parent- 
age. England's  throne  has  trembled  often  because 
undermined  by  moral  evil.  Our  own  boasted  prog- 
ress threatens  to  go  to  pieces  from  the  internal 
pressure  of  intemperance,  impurity  and  insatiable 
lust  of  gain.  Individual  lives  are  blasted,  families 
shattered  and  headless,  and  political  agencies  have 
become  so  hopelessly  corrupt  that  even  our  noble 
and  delicately  reared  women  feel  compelled  to  put 
forth  their  hands  to  stay  the  tottering  ark  of  a  na- 
tion's hopes. 

Shall  we  be  told  that  all  this  is  the  necessary  re- 


108    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

suit  of  environment  ?  That  the  persistence  of 
Force  follows  the  "line  of  least  resistance,"  and 
that  therefore  this  state  of  things  is  the  natural 
course  of  development  and  the  survival  of  the  fit- 
test ?  That  "  aborted  organs "  and  "  parasitic 
growths"  are  of  small  account  and  signify  nothing 
in  the  grand  total  ?  That  distortions,  retrogres- 
sions and  anomalies,  are  only  the  "  necessary  mo- 
ments of  the  process"  by  which  the  pure  Nothing 
becomes  manifested  in  experience  ?  Yes,  we  have 
been  told  all  this  and  much  more  of  the  same 
sort,  but  is  anyone  satisfied  with  this  tale  whose 
experience  of  life  has  been  shattered,  withered  and 
torn  by  the  misery  of  sin  ;  who  has  inherited  the 
curse  of  vile  affections  ;  who  has  found  within  him- 
self those  evil  "  desires  of  the  flesh  and  of  the 
mind  "  which  have  driven  him  from  bad  to  worse 
until  life  has  become  a  burden  grievous  to  be  borne  ? 
Theories  such  as  those  under  review  may  serve  for 
men  quietly  cloistered  in  secluded  homes  with  leis- 
ure for  speculation  and  untouched  of  care  ;  but  for 
those  who  labor  in  the  midst  of  this  poor  world, 
and  who  come  face  to  face  with  its  struggling  thou- 
sands in  the  midst  of  all  their  wickedness  and  woe, 
they  are  but  artificial  men  of  straw  as  perishable 
as  they  are  easily  constructed.  No,  they  cannot 
meet  the  case.  Sin  is  a  dread  reality,  a  dire  dis- 
temper which  affects  our  nature,  and  which  philo- 
sophy and  science  have  so  far  failed  either  to  ex- 
plain or  remedy.  Is  there  then  no  remedy  ?  God 
forbid  !  "  God  commendeth  His  love  toward  us 
in  that  while  we  were  yet  sinners  Christ  died  for 
us." 


S/AT.  109 

Thus  the  soul  of  man  shows  itself  as  divided 
against  itself.  The  law  of  the  mind  is  found  war- 
ring  against  the  law  of  the  members.  The  ten- 
dency towards  God  is  opposed  by  the  tendency 
towards  the  evil  that  is  in  the  world.  Both  are 
real,  but  the  one  is  native  to  humanity,  the  other 
foreign.  Can  the  broken  unity  be  restored  ?  is  the 
question  which  philosophy  must  meet  and  answer. 
The  Dualism  which  makes  the  evil  co-eternal  with 
good  is  plainly  useless  for  this  purpose.  The  Sci- 
entific unity  which  ignores  the  reality  of  the  evil 
as  a  substantive  virus  poisoning  the  springs  of  hu- 
man life  is  clearly  inadequate.  The  Ideal  unity 
which  denies  the  reality  both  of  good  and  evil, 
blending  them  in  a  perpetual  "  becoming,"  is  equal- 
ly delusive.  The  Materialist  and  the  Pantheist 
are  alike  unable  to  meet  our  needs,  for  there  is  no 
room  in  either  system  for  the  profound  reality  of 
moral  distinctions.  In  all  of  these  we  drift  hope- 
lessly because  each  gives  only  a  partial  truth  which 
is  counteracted  and  neutralized  by  a  vast  amount 
of  error. 

Theism  meets  the  case  because  it  allows  for  the 
creation  of  free  beings  capable  of  obedience  or  dis- 
obedience, and  therefore,  of  doing  good  or  evil. 
But  lest  we  should  look  upon  God  as  altogether 
removed  from  interest  in  us  because  of  our  vileness 
the  Incarnation  reveals  Him  as  being,  not  only 
near  to  everyone  of  us  because  He  is  immanent  in 
Nature,  but  as  profoundly  concerned  for  our  re- 
covery in  that  He  has  taken  the  limitations  of  our 
Nature  into  union  with  His  own  in  order  to  im- 
part the  virtues  of  the  Divine  Nature   to  ours. 


HO   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION; 

He  has  bestowed  upon  human  nature  new  gifts  of 
life  and  love  to  be  the  sanctifying  and  healing 
power  by  which  the  poison  of  sin  may  be  over- 
come. Here  we  have,  in  the  synthesis  of  a  higher 
unity,  all  the  great  facts  harmoniously  combined. 
"  There  is  therefore  now  no  condemnation  to  them 
which  are  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  walk  not  after  the 
flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit.  For  the  law  of  the 
Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus  hath  made  me  free 
from  the  law  of  sin  and  death."  (Rom.  viii.  i,  2.) 
"  For  he  hath  made  Him  to  be  sin  for  us,  who 
knew  no  sin  ;  that  we  might  be  made  the  righteous- 
ness of  God  in  Him."     (2  Cor.  v.  21.) 


LECTURE    VI. 
REDEMPTION. 

"  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth." — Job  xix.  25. 

ACCORDING  to  the  view  taken  in  these 
lectures  the  Incarnation  is  held  to  have 
been  fundamental  in  the  plan  of  the  universe  and 
not  merely  an  expedient  to  counteract  the  evil  of 
sin. 

The  Incarnation  has  been  considered  as  the 
method  chosen  by  God  before  the  world  was  for 
the  revelation  of  Himself.  Sin  is  probably  one 
among  many  contingencies  known  and  unknown 
to  us,  which  however,  were  foreseen  and  provided 
for  by  the  "  determinate  counsel  and  foreknowl- 
edge of  God "  ere  yet  the  morning  stars  had 
tuned  their  first  Matin  song.  These  contingen- 
cies have  afforded  occasion  for  the  indefinite  modi- 
fication of  the  actual  experience  of  the  Son  of 
Man,  but  cannot  rightly  be  assigned  as  the  cause 
of  the  Incarnation.  The  narrower  view  which  re- 
strains the  Incarnation  to  the  position  of  a  con- 
trivance devised  by  infinite  wisdom  and  love  for 
the  rescue  of  fallen  humanity  seems  both  unphil- 
osophical  and  unscriptural. 

I.  Redemption  must  necessarily  be  governed 
by  the  same   principles  as  the  Incarnation.      Its 


112    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

base  can  be  neither  broader  nor  narrower,  its  pur- 
pose neither  less  nor  more.  "  Love's  Redeeming 
work  "  is  infinitely  more  profound  than  any  other 
of  which  we  have  any  knowledge. 

The  great  question  is  : — How  shall  the  Infinite 
become  known  to  the  finite,  how  shall  the  Creator 
reveal  Himself  to  the  creature  ? 

Scripture  points  out  several  methods  by  which 
in  "divers  parts"  this  knowledge  has  been  vouch- 
safed. 

i.  Perhaps  the  most  conspicuous  is  the  account 
of  the  origin  of  all  things  as  given  in  the  opening 
of  Genesis.  Historians,  prophets,  poets  and  phi- 
losophers have  placed  on  record  the  impressions 
made  upon  them  by  the  external  universe.  For 
simplicity,  solemnity  and  grandeur  nothing  can 
exceed  the  glowing  language  of  the  sacred  writers 
as  they  spell  out  the  alphabet  of  the  stars  and 
read  in  their  lettered  tracery  the  "  handiwork  "  of 
the  great  Creator.  Their  changeableness,  evan- 
escence, perishableness  in  contrast  with  the  etern- 
ity of  God  are  marked  features  of  their  descrip- 
tions. Thus  the  writer  to  the  Hebrews  sum- 
marises : — "  Thou,  Lord,  in  the  beginning  hast  laid 
the  foundation  of  the  earth  ;  and  the  heavens  are 
the  works  of  thine  hands  :  They  shall  perish ;  but 
Thou  remainest  ;  and  they  all  shall  wax  old  as 
doth  a  garment ;  and  as  a  vesture  shalt  Thou  fold 
them  up,  and  they  shall  be  changed  :  but  Thou  art 
the  same,  and  Thy  years  shall  not  fail."  (Heb.  i. 
10-12.) 

Providence  is  also  a  favorite  theme  by  which 
the  prophets  delight  to  exhibit  the  farseeing  fore- 


REDE  MP  TIOJST.  1 1 3 

knowledge  of  God  "  declaring  the  end  from  the 
beginning." 

Of  His  government  too,  as  doing  "according  to 
His  will  in  the  army  of  heaven  and  among  the 
inhabitants  of  the  earth  "  they  speak  with  rever- 
ence and  awe. 

Of  His  majesty  and  truth,  His  "  eternal  power 
and  Godhead  "  as  manifested  by  the  "  things  that 
are  made  "  poets  sing  and  apostles  write. 

Yet,  it  remains  true  that  "  no  man  hath  seen 
God  at  any  time."  All  these  "manifestations" 
fall  infinitely  short  of  a  "  revelation." 

2.  If  the  Divine  purpose  in  Creation  were  merely 
to  bring  into  existence  millions  of  automata  to  be 
guided  by  fixed  laws,  and  ruled  through  all  pos- 
sible evolutions  by  almighty  power  and  infinite 
wisdom,  the  scheme  of  creation  and  providence  as 
traced  in  Scripture  affords  abundant  illustration 
with  which  science  and  philosophy  may  compare 
their  conclusions.  But  if  this  be  only  the  least 
part  of  the  Divine  purpose  it  will  be  well  for 
those  who  assume  it  as  the  whole  to  proceed  with 
caution.  On  the  principles  of  Spencer  and  Hegel 
already  reviewed,  Man  is  merely  an  automaton, 
a  creature  of  circumstances,  without  any  more 
freedom  of  will  than  the  cabbage  on  which  he 
feeds,  and  no  more  responsibility  than  the  whipped 
dog  from  whose  cringing  howl  he  has  learned  to 
pray !  On  these  principles  there  is  no  room  for  the 
Incarnation  and  none  for  Redemption.  It  is  only 
as  the  veriest  travesty  of  our  most  cherished  con- 
victions and  most  certain  knowledge  that  the  word 
"  Religion  "  can  be  used  in  connection  with  the 


114   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

system  of  Mr.  Spencer.  The  shadowy  vagueness 
of  Hegel  allows  it,  as  we  have  seen,  but  little  more 
significance. 

But  if  our  study  of  man's  nature  have  been  even 
approximately  correct  we  are  in  a  position  to  find, 
at  least  in  much  larger  measure,  the  Divine  pur- 
pose in  Creation.  Various  portions  of  the  uni- 
verse manifest  various  elements  of  this  purpose. 
Material  adjustment,  mechanical  contrivance,  spe- 
cial adaptation  of  chemical  and  vital  to  the  other 
laws  found  operative  in  nature  all  display  in 
their  respective  spheres  qualities  of  that  "  Force" 
of  which  Mr.  Spencer  writes  ;  or  changeful  "  be- 
comings" of  the  "Thought"  which  antedates 
them  all,  if  Hegel  may  be  allowed  to  speak  ;  or 
"  manifestations "  of  "  God's  eternal  power  and 
Godhead,  which  are  clearly  seen,  being  understood 
by  the  things  that  are  made,"  if  St.  Paul  may  be 
heard  upon  the  question.  But  it  is  not  in  these 
that  we  shall  find  the  purpose  of  God  in  creation. 
They  seem  rather  like  means  to  an  end  than  the 
end  itself.  Necessary  perhaps  as  preliminaries 
and  to  afford  a  theatre  for  the  exercise  of  other 
and  far  greater  powers.  In  all  of  this  there  is  no 
tax  upon  Omnipotence,  nor  any  test  of  inexhausti- 
ble resources,  nor  any  measure  of  the  Infinite. 
And  just  here  has  been  the  mistake  of  many 
writers  upon  the  argument  from  teleology.  The 
universe  is  wonderful  as  a  piece  of  mechanism,  but 
it  affords  no  evidence  that  omnipotence  was  needed 
to  create  nor  omniscience  to  guide  it ;  and  there- 
fore the  attempt  to  conclude  these  attributes  as 
essential  qualities  of  its  Author  is  rightly  con- 
S 


kEDEMPTIOrt.  1 1  <, 

demned  as  illogical.  In  other  words  there  is 
vastly  more  in  God  possible  to  be  made  known 
to  man  than  all  the  suns  and  systems  of  immensity 
can  unveil. 

The  Incarnation  has  already  shown  us  great 
fields  of  thought  quite  outside  of  those  now 
brought  into  view.  "  God  "  was  "  manifest  in  the 
flesh  "  that  He  might  take  the  "  Manhood  into 
God."  He  laid  aside  His  glory  and  "  took  our 
nature  upon  Him "  that  He  might  "  make  us 
partakers  of  the  Divine  nature"  and  raise  us  up  to 
share  the  "glory"  which  He  "had  before  the 
world  was."  The  Divine  purpose  in  Creation  is 
the  revelation  of  God  in  all  the  fulness  of  His 
love.  But  how  shall  the  depths  of  love  be 
sounded  ?  How  shall  the  creature  be  made  to 
know  the  meaning  of  the  words  "  God  is  Love  ?  " 
Love  cannot  be  taught  theoretically.  It  must  be 
experienced  to  be  known,  but  may  be  indefinite- 
ly illustrated,  and  its  intensity  and  reality  made 
plain  to  those  whom  it  may  never  bless. 

3.  Redemption  sounds  the  depths  of  love. 

(a.)  In  relation  to  God. 

We  have  no  sympathy  with  that  class  of 
theology  which  represents  a  discord  as  being 
introduced  among  the  Divine  attributes  by  sin, 
and  which  finds  place  for  Redemption  in  reconcil- 
ing God  with  Himself  by  eliminating  this  discord. 
Nor  can  we  accept  the  teaching  which  hopes  to 
remove  all  difficulty  by  assigning  to  the  work  of 
Christ  the  task  of  "reconciling  His  Father  to  us." 
Both  of  these  views,  aside  from  other  serious 
objections,    make    "  the    sacrifice    of    the    death 


Il6    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF   THE  INCARNATION. 

of  Christ  "  an  after-thought  in  the  economy  of 
the  universe.  This  we  consider  as  being  quite 
inconceivable  and  unphilosophical.  However  the 
eternal  Son  may  have  been  made  "  manifest  in 
these  last  times  "  He  was  "verily  foreordained  be- 
fore the  foundation  of  the  world."  (i  Pet.  i.  20.) 
Redemption  is  as  much  native  and  eternal  in  the 
mind  of  God  as  Creation  is,  and  as  surely  enters 
into  every  movement  of  the  "  Force  which  the 
universe  manifests  to  us." 

In  touching  what  is  called  the  "  problem  of 
pain  "  all  our  reasoning  will  be  unsatisfactory  as 
long  as  God  is  held  to  be  incapable  of  suffering. 
Doubtless  this  statement  sounds  startling.  Yet  it 
is  plainly  true  whatever  difficulty  it  may  make 
among  our  preconceived  opinions.  If  we  ask 
"  Why  do  the  innocent  suffer  ?  "  we  shall  probably 
find  ourselves  unable  to  reply  in  a  satisfactory 
manner.  As  an  "  example  of  patience,"  for  "  ac- 
quisition of  habits  of  virtue,"  for  the  "  development 
of  qualities  of  character  not  otherwise  attainable," 
for  the  "  probation  and  testing  of  faith  and  love  " — 
yes,  all  of  these  have  been  rightly  assigned  as  pre- 
cious blessings  accompanying  the  experience  of  the 
most  holy  of  God's  suffering  saints.  But  while 
we  value  these  as  "  peaceable  fruits  of  righteous- 
ness "  matured  in  the  school  of  discipline,  it  is  be- 
cause we  are  conscious  of  the  "  weakness  of  our 
mortal  nature  "  that  we  justify  the  means  used  for 
the  accomplishment  of  the  end.  In  other  words 
it  is  because  we  are  not  innocent  that  such  exposi- 
tions commend  themselves  to  our  consciences. 
The  sense  of  ill-desert  present  in  every  "  humble 


REDEMPTION.  WJ 

and  contrite  heart  "  consents  to  the  justice  which 
it  confesses  has  been  rightly  called  into  exercise. 
But  remove  this  sense  of  ill-desert  and  all  the 
boasted  explanation  will  lose  its  power  to  soothe 
the  aching  heart  or  silence  the  questioning  intel- 
lect. 

And  if  we  ask  the  farther  question  "  Why  do 
the  innocent  suffer  for  the  guilty?"  we  shall 
find  the  answer  still  more  difficult.  Although  we 
have  become  accustomed  not  only  to  accept  but  to 
defend  the  justice  and  equity  of  our  experience  in 
this  regard,  yet  we  feel  the  grave  inadequacy  of  all 
our  arguments.  There  is  a  feeling  always  latent 
in  spite  of  our  best  efforts  to  expel  it  that  there  is 
a  mystery  in  this  which  we  have  not  solved. 

But  if  we  could  broaden  out  our  view  to  take 
in  the  Divine  Order  as  seen  in  every  "  family  in 
heaven  and  earth"  (Ephes.  iii.  15) — embracing 
the  many  fatherhoods  of  the  heavenly  world 
where  sin  has  never  entered — we  would  find  there 
a  sphere  for  the  revelation  of  the  Divine  nature 
wider  than  that  of  our  own  experience. 

It  is  plain  from  St.  Paul's  glowing  language  to 
the  Ephesians  that  the  beings  in  heavenly  places 
have  information  given  them  on  the  mysteries  of 
Divine  Providence  through  the  agency  of  the 
Church.  The  "  manifold  wisdom  of  God  "  can- 
not be  revealed  to  those  radiant  spirits  save 
through  the  Incarnation. 

The  duty  of  love  to  deny  itself  for  the  sake  of 
others  may  be  urged  on  general  principles  among 
weak  and  suffering  creatures ;  but  how  shall  this 
duty  be  made  plain  to  those  who  are  not  weak 


Il8    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

and  do  not  suffer  ?  What  sort  of  "  acquaintance 
with  grief "  is  possible  to  holy  angels  ?  What  can 
they  know  of  self-denial  ?  What  grace  of  sympathy 
is  open  to  them  ?  Whatever  may  be  the  extent 
of  their  knowledge  they  must  be  ignorant  of  such 
commonplaces  of  human  experience  as  these;  and 
therefore  they  are  strangers  to  the  deepest  char- 
acteristics of  the  Divine  nature. 

Now  if  God  submit  to  the  limitations  of  His 
own  powers  that  He  may  show  His  creature  some 
qualities  of  His  being  not  otherwise  to  be  revealed, 
and  if  He  is  willing  to  endure  the  pain  which 
comes  of  self-sacrifice,  the  mystery  of  pain  will  not 
be  removed,  but  all  argument  based  upon  it  against 
the  goodness  of  God  will  be  forever  silenced. 

It  will  be  impossible  to  accuse  of  harshness  the 
Being  who  first  endures  whatever  of  deepest  sac- 
rifice He  requires  of  His  creature.  The  suppres- 
sion of  our  profoundest  emotions  at  the  imperial 
bidding  of  the  higher  law  of  another's  good  can- 
not be  cheerfully  effected  until  the  eye  of  the  soul 
has  witnessed  its  august  illustration  in  Redeeming 
Love.  When  God  imposes  limitations  upon  Him- 
self, and  at  once  reveals  His  love  for  His  creature 
and  measures  its  intensity  by  taking  upon  Him- 
self the  "  imperfection  inseparable  from  finitude," 
He  affords  a  practical  manifestation  of  His  "  mani- 
fold wisdom  "  which  may  well  challenge  the  ad- 
miration of  Angels. 

Upon  the  majestic  splendor  of  the  eternal,  invis- 
ible and  all-wise  God,  who  only  hath  immortality, 
dwelling  in  the  light,  whom  no  man  hath  seen  nor 
can  see,  no  creature  has  ever  been  privileged  to 


REDEMPTION.  1 1 9 

look.  Hence  they  must  have  for  ever  remained 
ignorant  of  His  love,  though  all  the  universe  were 
filled  with  its  radiance,  had  He  not  veiled  the 
brightness  of  His  presence.  The  glory  which 
the  eternal  Son  had  before  the  foundation  of  the 
world  is  counted  as  nothing  if  only  by  resigning 
it  the  "  whole  family  in  heaven  and  earth"  may 
learn  to  know  how  much  "  more  blessed  it  is  to  give 
than  to  receive."  The  glorious  and  almighty  Be- 
ing was  not  willing  to  enjoy  the  vast  resources  of 
His  mighty  empire  in  the  solitude  of  undisturbed 
repose.  It  was  not  sufficient  that  the  "  morning 
stars  sang  together  and  all  the  sons  of  God 
shouted  for  joy."  There  were  deeper  tones  in 
the  Divine  harmonies  of  the  Blessed  Trinity  than 
the  symphony  of  Creation  contained.  God  would 
reveal  these  hidden  mysteries.  Holy  angels  must 
learn  deeper  lessons  of  loving  service  than  they 
had  been  taught.  The  merely  natural  law  of  self- 
preservation  must  yield  to  the  higher  law  of  self- 
sacrifice  for  the  good  of  others. 

But  how  shall  the  Infinite,  rich  in  the  posses- 
sion of  inexhaustible  resources,  make  known  to 
His  creature  this  hidden  law  of  the  Divine  Na- 
ture ?  The  plan  originally  formed  in  the  council 
of  the  Eternal  Trinity  is  carried  into  execution  by 
slow  decrees.  The  "  Lamb  slain  from  the  founda- 
tion  of  the  world  "  is  revealed  in  the  "  fulness  of 
the  time."  "  Love's  Redeeming  work  is  done." 
God  is  shown  to  the  universe  as  a  suffering  God, 
taking  pain  into  the  Divine  Essence  that  through 
the  ministry  of  pain  all  creation  may  receive  the 
higher  life  of  God  and  gain  a  deeper  view  of  the 


120   THE  THILOSOPHY  OF   THE  INCARNATION. 

mystery  of  love.  The  "  Eternal  Sacrifice  "  seen  in 
its  relation  to  God  is  the  eternal  self-revelation 
of  His  love.  Herein  the  deepest  depths  of  the 
Divine  nature  are  brought  within  the  range  of 
created  intelligences.  "  The  mystery  which  from 
the  beginning  of  the  world  hath  been  hid  in  God 
who  created  all  things  by  Jesus  Christ  ;  "  .  .  . 
"  is  now  revealed  to  His  holy  apostles  and  proph- 
ets by  the  Spirit ; "  .  .  .  "to  the  intent 
that  now  unto  principalities  and  powers  in  heav- 
enly places  might  be  known  by  the  Church  the 
manifold  wisdom  of  God."     (Ephes.  iii.  5,  9,  10.) 

(b.)  Redemption  must  also  be  viewed  in  relation 
to  man.  Here  is  no  less  of  mystery  than  before. 
We  cannot  help  sharing  the  wonder  of  the  Psal- 
mist : — "  What  is  man  that  thou  art  mindful  of 
him  ?  and  the  son  of  man  that  Thou  visitest  him  ?  " 
(Ps.  viii.  4.)  St.  John  furnishes  the  explanation  : 
"  God  so  loved  the  world  !  "  (John  iii.  16.) 

The  perfection  of  the  world  is  inseparable  from 
the  perfect  self-revelation  of  God.  The  realiza- 
tion in  time  and  history  of  the  Divine  Ideal  is  the 
perfection  of  the  world.  In  the  sphere  of  human- 
ity this  realization  involves  the  following  particu- 
lars : — 

1.   SELF-SACRIFICE. 

On  the  principles  of  Evolution  as  presented  by 
Mr.  Spencer  there  is  no  room  for  self-sacrifice. 
As  we  have  already  seen  the  theory  proceeds  upon 
the  ground  of  selfishness.  Every  individual  ad- 
vantage obtained  by  accident  or  otherwise  is  made 
the  most  of  and  used  to  the  utmost  power  of  its 


REDEMPTION.  I 2 1 

possessor.  The  attempt  to  derive  altruistic  moral- 
ity from  the  fatalistic  principles  of  Evolution  has 
failed,  as  may  be  seen  by  an  examination  of  it  in 
the  second  lecture. 

Indeed  it  is  not  easy  on  any  principles  of  mere 
naturalism  to  show  why  self-sacrifice  should  be  a 
virtue   of  such  high  order.     All  our   natural    in- 
stincts  point    quite    the    other    way.      Maternal 
tenderness   may  be    urged   in   contravention,  but 
hardly   with    success.     Offspring    must    fairly   be 
looked  upon  as  part  of  the  mother  whose  life  and 
substance    it  shares.     The   horror  which  we   feel 
when  a  mother  forgets  her  true  nature  and  spurns 
the  fruit  of  her  womb,  is  itself  a  proof  that  such 
action  is  unnatural  and  worthy  of  the  severest  con- 
demnation on  that  ground.     On  the  other  hand 
when  she  willingly  yields  her  own  life  for  the  life 
of  her  child  she  is  considered  to  have  done  only 
what  nature  requires  of  the  lioness  and  the  bear. 
While   this  action  may  involve  the  very  noblest 
qualities  of  religion  and  morals  it  does  not  neces- 
sarily do  so. 

But  Self-sacrifice  of  which  we  speak  is  quite 
another  thing  than  this  animal  instinct.  The 
voluntary  submission  of  our  individual  will  to 
the  guidance  of  a  higher  law  whose  authority  we 
recognize  may  involve  intense  bitterness  of  soul 
and  pain  of  body,  as  has  been  abundantly  illus- 
trated in  the  martyrology  of  the  Church.  To 
those  who  have  thus  "  suffered  for  righteousness 
sake"  we  gladly  yield  the  homage  of  moral  ap- 
probation. But  when  called  upon  to  explain  the 
grounds  of  our  approval  the  task  has  not  been 


122    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF   THE  INCARNATION. 

always  so  accomplished  as  to  escape  rejoinder. 
For  why  should  not  the  All-wise  and  Good  render 
such  penalty  impossible  to  virtue  ? 

The  Incarnation  and  Redemption  of  Christ  do 
not  altogether  remove  the  difficulty,  but  they  ef- 
fectually silence  the  objection.  Here  God  en- 
ters into  our  case  and  personally  becomes  familiar 
with  our  experience.  Bitterness  of  soul  cannot  be 
known  by  God  in  His  infinite  wisdom,  (we  speak 
reverently)  it  must  be  felt  to  be  known.  The 
solitariness  of  desertion,  the  disappointment  of  be- 
trayal, the  grief  of  denial,  the  shame  of  nakedness 
— all  these  and  many  more  must  be  experienced 
to  be  appreciated.  The  exquisite  misery  of  lacer- 
ated nerves,  torn  muscles  and  dislocated  joints 
coupled  with  the  "sickening  anguish  of  despair" 
must  be  endured  to  be  understood.  Of  all  these 
God  would  have  personal  knowledge ;  and  there- 
fore took  our  nature  upon  Him,  became  a  "  Man 
of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with  grief,"  and  finally 
was  "  obedient  unto  death  even  the  death  of  the 
cross."  Emphatically  "  He  knoweth  whereof  we 
are  made."  He  enters  into  perfect  sympathy  with 
us.  He  takes  us  by  the  hand  and  walks  with  us. 
Do  the  thorns  by  the  way  wound  our  feet  ?  See 
they  are  bound  around  His  brow.  Do  want  and 
poverty  afflict  us  ?  He  had  not  where  to  lay  His 
head.  Do  professed  friends  violate  our  confidence 
and  desert  our  person  ?  The  one  who  fed  upon 
His  bounty  and  dipped  his  hand  in  the  same  dish, 
betrayed  Him  to  His  death.  Does  our  burden 
seem  too  great  for  us  until  flesh  and  spirit  cry  out 
in  bitter  anguish  ?     He  "  bearing  His  cross  "  goeth 


REDEMPTION.  1 2  3 

with   us   measuring   every   step    by    the   fainting 
agony  of  His  own. 

Now  this  is  self-sacrifice.  In  the  freedom  of 
absolute  right  to  do  or  not  to  do  as  might  seem 
best  to  infinite  wisdom  and  power  Love  takes 
into  itself  the  conditions  of  its  object,  tests  each 
one  of  them  in  turn,  touches  them  with  its  own 
sacred  fire,  and,  while  it  does  not  remove,  it 
changes  them  into  its  own  image. 

2.   SELF-CONQUEST. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  see  that  self-sacrifice  might 
be  carried  on  to  a  great  extent  while  the  will  re- 
mained rebellious.  History  is  full  of  such  exam- 
ples. Self  will  was  the  original  error  of  our  race, 
and  is  not  to  be  eradicated  by  any  short  and  easy 
method.  Now  if  man  be  the  mere  creature  of 
circumstances,  as  some  of  our  scientific  writers  try 
to  persuade  us,  this  remark  is,  of  course,  absurd. 
There  can  in  that  case  be  no  such  thing  as  will, 
and  it  is  idle  to  talk  about  its  conquest  or  rebel- 
lion. But  if  the  arguments  heretofore  offered  be 
held  of  weight  man's  liberty  of  choice  will  not  be 
denied.  The  awful  consideration  in  this  whole  mat- 
ter is  that  God  has  placed  Man  over  against  Him- 
self and  given  him  the  power  to  obey  or  disobey 
as  he  may  choose.  The  law  assigned  for  man's 
government  is  the  expression  of  eternal  and  abso- 
lute Reason.  Man's  will  is  influenced  by  many 
things  within  and  without  his  person.  It  may  be 
deceived,  allured,  biased  ;  it  may  be  strong  or 
weak,  obstinate   or  vacillating  ;    easily  influenced 


124   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION: 

for  good  or  evil,  intimidated  or  bribed ;  and 
through  all  the  process  retain  its  responsibility, 
but  it  cannot  be  coerced  without  a  forfeiture  of  its 
fundamental  characteristic.  What  man  needs  is 
power  over  himself  because  that  gives  him  power 
over  the  circumstances  of  his  environment.  Self- 
conquest  becomes  the  conquest  of  all  else.  But 
how  shall  man,  whose  history  is  only  the  record 
of  his  defeats,  learn  this  grand  lesson  ?  How 
shall  the  imperial  power  of  self-control  calm  the 
sullen  waves  of  tempestuous  passions,  or  command 
the  shrinking  spirit  to  the  torture,  or  steady  the 
vacillating  soul  to  duty  though  at  the  cost  of  life 
itself  ? 

Unless  some  new  thing  come  to  aid  him  man 
will  again  repeat  his  history,  for  why  should  he 
not  yield  to  his  scientific  guides  and  follow  the 
"  line  of  least  resistance  ?  "  Is  there  anything  in 
mere  reason  to  justify  him  in  seeking  a  remote 
good  of  which  he  knows  nothing  at  the  cost  of 
present  misery  of  which  he  is  acutely  conscious  ? 
Mr.  Spencer,  indeed,  labors  to  make  the  affirma- 
tive clear ;  but  it  is  plain  to  any  impartial  reader 
that  he  is  borrowing  from  the  Christian  conscious- 
ness of  his  age  without  acknowledgment,  while  his 
argument  would  make  high  morality  as  binding 
on  the  mollusks  from  whose  interesting  "  sensa- 
tions"  under  the  "solar  ray"  he  obtains  such 
wonderful  results,  as  on  man. 

Now  just  here  Redeeming  Love  takes  us  by  the 
hand.  "  Watch  with  Me  one  hour "  He  says. 
We  enter  the  garden  with  Him  in  the  moonlight 
and  watch  beneath  the  shadows  of  the  olive  trees. 


redemption:  125 

A  great  agony  afflicts  Him.  The  stillness  of  the 
night  is  broken  as  the  words  are  borne  on  the 
dewy  air :— "  Father,  all  things  are  possible  unto 
Thee  ;  take  away  this  cup  from  Me :  nevertheless 
not  what  I  will,  but  what  Thou  wilt."  (Mark  xiv. 
36).  Here  is  indeed  the  climax  of  misery.  "  My 
soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful,  even  unto  death." 
The  horror  of  a  great  darkness  is  upon  the  sensi- 
tive Spirit.  The  shame  and  indignity  of  the  next 
few  hours  have  already  touched  Him  with  the 
chill  of  the  grave.  The  contempt  and  ridicule 
and  vulgarity  of  the  rabble  have  enwrapped  the 
gentle  heart  in  their  clammy  folds.  The  cruel 
nails  are  already  tearing  the  quivering  nerves  and 
shivering  muscles.  Nature  shrinks  from  the  hide- 
ous spectacle  soon  to  be  presented  to  angels  and 
to  men.  "  Nevertheless  not  My  will  but  Thine  be 
done  !"  A  truly  sublime  victory  over  all  natural 
desire,  all  emotion,  feeling,  will.  Here  is  the  true 
conquest  of  self  in  the  absolute  freedom  of  infinite 
love. 

Redemption  herein  reveals  the  human  will  as 
restored  to  its  original  position  of  authority  over 
mind  and  body.  It  also  plainly  shows  that  the 
innocent  is  more  profoundly  pained  than  the 
guilty  could  possibly  be.  Body,  soul  and  spirit 
are  sensitive  in  proportion  as  they  are  innocent. 
Sin  dulls  our  sensibilities.  The  disciples  fell 
asleep  for  "  their  eyes  were  heavy  "  and  when  the 
critical  moment  arrived  "  they  all  forsook  Him 
and  fled." 


126   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 


3.  SELF-SURRENDER. 

It  is  easy  to  understand  how  under  the  pressure 
of  deep  feeling  or  strong  emotion  one  may  find 
the  power  to  subdue  every  selfish  thought  and 
desire,  and  thus  stand  master  of  himself.  Yet 
there  might  be  no  love  to  the  power  commanding. 
A  sort  of  armed  neutrality  in  which  the  soul  holds 
its  own  against  the  world  and  submits  to  the 
authority  of  God ;  but  in  so  doing  holds  itself 
sufficient  unto  itself  while  confessing  the  power 
and  right  of  God  to  command  it  to  "  suffer  and  be 

still." 

With  this  Redeeming  Love  cannot  be  satisfied. 
It  must  win  the  heart  to  an  absolute  surrender  of 
itself  to  God  without  conditions  or  mental  reserva- 
tions. 

This  cannot  easily  be  made  plain  on  any  merely 
naturalistic  principles.  Why  should  we  be  con- 
stituted as  we  are  by  the  Creative  Will  and  then 
required  to  surrender  the  liberty  which  most  of 
all  distinguishes  us  from  every  other  creature  ? 
Why  should  we  be  called  upon  to  suppress  every 
impulse  of  our  nature,  to  bind  and  fetter  all 
affections,  personal  preferences  and  "  desires  of 
the  flesh  and  of  the  mind  ?"  To  these  questions 
moralists  and  philosophers  as  well  as  theologians 
have  attempted  to  reply  ;  but  with  what  measure 
of  success  we  cannot  stop  to  inquire.  Suffice  it 
to  say  that  on  any  supposition  which  limits  man's 
career  to  this  world  these  questions  admit  of  no 
reply  which  will  not  overthrow  the  benevolence  of 


REDEMPTION.  \2"J 

God.  Hence  materialistic  philosophy  tends  to 
atheism  and  pessimism  almost  as  a  necessary  re- 
sult of  experience. 

But  here  again  Redeeming  Love  sheds  its  own 
peculiar  light  upon  the  question.  The  utter  de- 
spair of  separation  from  God  is  heard  in  the  cry 
of  unparalleled  distress — "  My  God,  My  God, 
why  hast  Thou  forsaken  Me  ! "  This  voices  the 
despair  of  humanity  without  God.  It  is  the  exact 
presentation  of  the  doom  to  which  materialism 
condemns  the  race  ;  for  what  in  this  case  was  the 
result  of  only  a  temporary  withdrawal  of  the 
Divine  presence  becomes  in  that  the  necessary 
condition  of  human  experience.  A  philosophy 
which  can  listen  to  that  cry  and  call  it  nothing 
more  than  the  "  natural  aversion  to  dissolution  " 
is  but  poorly  qualified  to  meet  the  needs  of  suf- 
fering mankind.  We  must  strain  the  ear  and  eye 
to  catch  any  other  words  which  may  come  and  to 
note  the  change  of  expression  upon  that  patient 
face.  Hope  returns  to  the  "  soul  now  made  an 
offering  for  sin."  Love  beats  again  within  the 
broken  heart.  Confidence  replaces  the  temporary 
dismay.  "  Father,  into  Thy  hands  I  commend 
my  Spirit "  escapes  from  the  stiffening  lips,  and 
man  is  "  redeemed  from  death  and  ransomed  from 
the  power  of  the  grave  "  by  the  surrender  of  him- 
self to  God  in  the  unity  of  the  Incarnation. 
"  Life  and  immortality  are  brought  to  light  by  the 
Gospel ;  "  time  and  eternity  are  united  ;  the  veil 
of  the  temple  is  rent  in  twain  from  the  top  to  the 
bottom  ;  the  holy  of  holies  is  thrown  open  to  the 
fallen  race  ;  the  past,  the  present  and    the  future 


128    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

are  fused  into  one ;  for  "  God  was  in  Christ  recon- 
ciling the  world  unto  Himself." 

These  three  self-sacrifice,  self-conquest,  and  self- 
surrender  bring  man  into  union  and  harmony 
with  God.  Redeeming  Love  reveals  God  as  a 
suffering  God  that  He  may  raise  His  people  to  a 
share  of  His  unspeakable  joys. 

4.    LOVE'S   TRANSFUSION. 

Redeeming  Love  will  not  rest  satisfied  with  this 
work  of  leading  us  through  the  stages  mentioned. 
It  will  transfuse  itself  into  its  object.  "  The  love 
of  God  is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts."  It  enters 
into  our  affections  and  touches  all  the  common 
things  of  our  nature  with  its  own  glory.  The 
qualities  which  most  distinguish  it  are  imparted 
to  its  object.  Every  valley  is  exalted  and  the 
rough  places  are  made  plain.  Saul  the  persecutor 
becomes  Paul  the  preacher  of  the  faith  he  de- 
stroyed. The  qualities  of  the  Christly  character 
are  grafted  upon  the  rude  stock  of  poor  humanity 
and  begin  to  yield  the  fruits  of  righteousness  as 
their  natural  product.  Slowly  it  may  be  but 
surely  the  good  work  continues.  The  Divine  like- 
ness, effaced  by  sin,  is  gradually  restored.  God 
realizes  Himself  in  the  regenerated  consciousness 
of  His  people.  Christ  sees  in  these  renewed 
hearts  of  the  "  travail  of  His  soul  and  is  satisfied." 
The  angels  looking  down  from  heaven  upon  the 
children  of  men  find  fresh  evidence  every  day  of 
hidden  mysteries  in  the  Divine  Nature  now  first 
revealed.     The  redemptive  process  by  which  man 


redemption:  129 

is  raised  up  from  "  the  death  of  sin  to  the  life 
of  righteousness  "  could  not  be  known  by  these 
heavenly  spirits  until  it  was  illustrated  in  fact. 
Redeemed  humanity  becomes  a  mirror  in  which 
the  likeness  of  God  is  reflected,  but  now  distin- 
guished by  qualities  of  human  character  made 
"  perfect  through  suffering." 

5.    THE  GIFT  OF  LIFE. 

This  transference  of  character  is  the  effect  of 
the  communication  of  life.  A  new  principle  of 
life  is  imparted  to  humanity  in  the  Incarnation. 
Therein  God  conferred  this  new  gift  of  spiritual 
life  even  as  He  had  before  bestowed  natural. 
(1  Cor.  xv.  46.) 

As  we  have  seen  creation  is  continuous.  "  My 
Father  worketh  hitherto,  and  I  work  "  has  receiv- 
ed abundant  illustration  all  along  the  ages  since 
the  world  began.  Certain  great  periods  of  special 
manifestation  have  marked  the  progress  in  time 
of  the  Divine  working. 

We  cannot  accept  that  theory  of  "  Life  in 
Christ  "  so  ably  advocated  by  Edward  White  and 
copied  by  a  large  number  of  imitators.  It  limits 
the  gift  in  effect  to  those  who  rightly  use  it ;  nec- 
essarily limits  the  benefits  of  the  Incarnation  in 
the  same  way  ;  and  finally  it  deprives  mankind 
of  that  immortality  which  is  an  essential  element 
of  human  nature  not  dependent  upon  character. 
"  Conditional  Immortality  "  as  a  short  and  easy 
method  of  disposing  of  the  wicked,  has  no  doubt 
a  certain  fascination  for  some  minds  ;  but  such 
9 


130    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF   THE  INCARNATION. 

minds  will  usually  be  found  weak  upon  the  funda- 
mental doctrines  of  the  Incarnation  and  Atone- 
ment. Every  child  of  man  is  touched  of  these 
mighty  factors  in  the  economy  of  the  universe 
whatever  may  be  his  life  and  character,  just  as  he 
receives  the  gift  of  natural  life  whatever  use  he 
may  make  of  it.  Immortality  is  guaranteed  to 
humanity  by  the  perpetuity  of  the  hypostatic 
union.  The  permanence  of  this  union  is  the 
ground  of  distinction  between  the  Incarnation  of 
God  in  Christ  and  all  other  shadows  of  the  idea 
which  have  passed  across  the  field  of  thought. 
The  union  is  eternal.  The  gifts  of  God's  life  flow 
into  humanity  perennially.  The  life  current  flows 
on  for  ever  from  the  source  of  all  life  in  God  into 
humanity  in  Christ.  This  cannot  be  hindered  by 
any  contingencies.  Use  it  as  they  may  for  weal  or 
woe  it  still  continues.  "  As  in  Adam  all  die,  even 
so  in  Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive."  The  In- 
carnation guarantees  the  resurrection  also.  "  But 
every  man  in  his  own  order :  Christ  the  first- 
fruits  ;  afterward  they  that  are  Christ's  at  His 
coming."  (i  Cor.  xv.  22,  23.)  It  is  indeed  true 
that  many  find  in  all  this  wonderful  chapter  of 
the  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians  reference  only  to 
the  righteous.  Without  entering  upon  this  ques- 
tion it  is  plain  from  our  Lord's  words  as  quoted 
by  St.  John  that  the  resurrection  of  the  body  and 
continued  consciousness  afterward  was  as  distinct- 
ly affirmed  of  the  wicked  as  of  the  righteous — the 
character  of  that  consciousness  being  determined 
by  the  character  of  the  individuals.  Its  duration 
depends  upon  quite  other  considerations.     Man's 


redemption;  i  3 1 

immortality  is  not  conditional  but  its  quality  is. 
The  life  of  humanity  is  an  imperishable  life  ;  but 
whether  it  shall  be  an  imperishable  blessing  de- 
pends upon  the  use  made  of  it.  This  quality  is 
involved  in  man's  prerogative  of  liberty.  While 
it  is  true  that  the  life  determines  the  organism 
and  clothes  itself  with  a  body  adapted  to  its  uses, 
(as  may  be  abundantly  illustrated  in  every  depart- 
ment of  nature.)  it  is  also  true  that  man  has  been 
given  the  singular  power  of  directing  his  vital  en- 
ergies to  good  or  evil  uses.  By  the  abuse  of  this 
power  he  degrades  his  body  and  mind  until  he 
falls  below  the  level  of  the  beasts  that  perish.  In 
the  midst  of  his  ruin  there  is  often  the  memory  of 
a  higher  estate  from  which  he  has  fallen.  Like 
the  Prodigal  Son  happy  is  he  if  he  now  return  to 
his  Father's  house."  Redeeming  Love  will  nourish 
the  germ  of  new  life  and  support  it  with  new 
supplies  of  grace  each  hour  by  the  way.  The  ob- 
structive bar  of  self-will  and  distrust  being  remov- 
ed the  new  life  of  God  flowing  into  the  soul  will 
purify  and  strengthen  it  in  all  holy  desire  and 
high  resolve.  Here  natural  law  resumes  its  con- 
trol. The  poison  of  sin  being  counteracted  the 
holy  powers  of  spiritual  life  assert  themselves. 
The  things  which  are  "  true,"  "  pure,"  "  lovely," 
"  of  good  report,"  worthy  of  "  praise,"  and  full  of 
"virtue"  appear  as  "fruits  meet  for  repentance" 
adorning  and  enriching  the  organism  of  whose  new 
life  they  are  the  appropriate  result.  This  life  like 
all  other  life  springs  from  its  own  source  and  can- 
not be  otherwise  obtained.  Redeeming  Love  is 
its  origin  and  cause.     It  comes  to  us   from  God 


132    THE    PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

through  the  Incarnation  and  not  otherwise.  It 
is  the  gift  of  God  in  Christ.  It  grows  and  is 
nourished  and  ripens  according  to  its  own  laws. 
Those  who  rightly  use  it  come  to  "  the  measure 
of  the  stature  of  the  fulness  of  Christ "  as  natural- 
ly as  all  men  grow  from  childhood  to  maturity. 
Each  life  is  natural  in  its  sphere.  Both  spring 
out  of  the  Eternal  Word,  who  created  all  things 
in  heaven  and  earth,  but  who  worketh  according 
to  the  "  counsel  of  His  own  will,"  adapting  His 
operation  in  each  department  of  the  universe  to 
the  profound  laws  which  He  hath  appointed  for 
its  government. 

6.     DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE. 

In  nature  we  observe  that  life  is  capable  of  great 
improvement  under  cultivation.  The  condition 
of  plants  and  animals  under  the  influence  of  do- 
mestication is  fruitful  of  most  interesting  infor- 
mation. Here  I  must  refer  the  inquirer  to  the 
fascinating  pages  of  Mr.  Darwin  as  it  is  not  pos- 
sible to  pursue  the  subject  now.  My  purpose  is 
to  call  attention  to  one  characteristic  of  the  pro- 
cess of  development  under  such  circumstances.  I 
refer  to  the  tendency  of  every  creature  to  revert 
to  its  original  type.  The  labors  of  the  horti- 
culturalist  must  be  continued  if  he  wishes  to 
maintain  the  high  standard  to  which  he  has 
brought  his  roses.  The  agriculturalist  and  stock- 
raiser  will  confess  that  persistent  vigilance  is  es- 
sential to  prevent  degeneracy.  The  "  fittest  "  will 
not  "  survive  "  without  the  sleepless  care  of  those 


REDEMPTION.  1 3  3 

who  have  produced  it.  Nature,  if  left  to  herself, 
will  soon  eliminate  these  fine  products  of  human 
contrivance  and  give  back  our  gardens  to  the  wilder- 
ness. The  vigorous  life  of  the  vine  will  drive  its 
branches  over  trellis  and  tree,  spread  out  its  rich 
foliage  to  the  dewy  air,  and  catch  the  dancing  sun- 
shine upon  its  waving  tendrils,  but  the  grapes 
will  be  few  and  of  inferior  flavor.  Luxuriance 
must  feel  the  hand  of  discipline  and  yield  its  leafy 
honors  to  the  shears.  Nature  curbed  by  skill  is 
guided  into  other  channels  than  she  chooses  for 
herself,  and  produces  results  better  than  she  knew. 
The  lesson  from  all  this  plainly  is,  that  reason 
observing  nature's  processes  can  encourage  some 
and  repress  others  of  her  tendencies,  and  thus 
largely,  but  within  well-defined  limits,  control  her 
action.  To  say  that  God  can  do  the  same,  only 
in  larger  measure,  is  surely  not  to  make  any  very 
extravagant  demand  upon  our  powers  of  belief. 
This  is  what  Redeeming  Love  undertakes  to  do. 
It  recognizes  all  the  natural  powers  of  our  race. 
It  does  not  supersede  a  single  principle  of  mor- 
al obligation  or  rational  understanding.  But  it 
brings  man  into  closer  relationship  with  God ;  nay 
it  goes  farther  and  makes  us  "  partakers  of  the 
Divine  nature."  It  takes  careful  note  of  all  the 
tendencies  within  and  without  us ;  takes  us  out  of 
the  wilderness  of  unrenewed  humanity  and  trans- 
plants us  into  the  garden  of  the  Lord ;  nourishes 
our  tender  life  with  the  refreshing  dew  of  Divine 
grace ;  causes  the  "  Sun  of  Righteousness "  to 
shine  upon  us  with  "  healing  in  His  beams  ;"  and 
as  we  listen  to  the  whispering  leaves  when  the  even- 


134   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

ing  light  falls  upon  them  we  catch  the  unearth- 
ly music  :  "  I  am  the  true  Vine,  and  My  Father 
is  the  husbandman.  Every  branch  in  Me  that 
beareth  not  fruit  He  taketh  away :  and  every 
branch  that  beareth  fruit,  He  purgeth  it,  that  it 
may  bring  forth  more  fruit."     (John  xv.  I,  2.) 

7.  THE  JOY  OF  LIFE. 

Joy  is  the  characteristic  of  life.  The  flowers 
of  the  field  smile  upon  the  sunlight,  and  for  sheer 
gladness  the  "valleys  do  laugh  and  sing"  and 
"  all  the  trees  of  the  field  clap  their  hands."  The 
lark  shaking  the  dew-drop  from  his  wings  as  he 
pours  out  his  morning  song  of  praise,  the  lambs 
frisking  on  the  grassy  slope,  the  petrel  riding  on 
the  crested  waves,  the  eagle  soaring  on  the  elastic 
air,  the  hum  of  bees,  the  chatter  of  sparrows,  the 
lowing  herds  hastening  to  the  "  cowslip'd  vale  " — 
all  proclaim  the  joy  of  life,  the  intrinsic  pleasure 
of  mere  existence.  And  when  we  pass  from  these 
to  man  we  find  the  case  the  same  so  long  as  youth, 
health  and  innocence  remain,  and  the  necessary 
means  for  the  support  of  life  are  within  reach. 
Happiness  is  natural  to  man.  And  even  in  the 
midst  of  all  the  ills  and  sorrows  of  life  the  sum 
total  of  human  happiness  is  much  greater  than 
that  of  unhappiness. 

Yet  I  fear  it  must  be  confessed,  that  for  a  large 
proportion  of  mankind  the  elastic  spring  of  joy  in 
life  has  been  broken ;  and  this  often  by  circum- 
stances quite  beyond  the  control  of  the  individual. 
It  is  impossible  to  ignore  the  facts  of  experience 


REDEMPTION.  1 3  5 

as  seen  in  "  darkest  England  "  as  well  as  in  "  dark- 
est Africa,"  and  let  us  add  in  "  darkest  America." 
The  poverty,  vice  and  crime  which  form  conspicu- 
ous features  of  life  in  whole  sections  of  our  great 
cities  cannot  be  considered  otherwise  than  as 
powerful  factors  in  our  civilization,  and  also  con- 
vincing arguments  against  its  sufficiency.  Science, 
philosophy  and  politics  as  the  boasted  reformers 
of  our  race  have  not  so  far  been  able  to  prove 
themselves  equal  to  the  occasion.  They  may  in- 
deed suggest  remedies  and  even  prescribe  specifics 
of  more  or  less  efficacy  for  some  most  glaring 
evils;  but  when  they  are  brought  face  to  face  with 
the  more  deplorable  phases  of  human  experience 
which  do  not  grow  out  of  our  environment  but 
out  of  our  broken  hearts  their  futility  becomes 
apparent.  Alas !  they  cannot  "  minister  to  a 
mind  diseased."  They  have  no  remedy  for  bleed- 
ing affections.  They  offer  no  antidote  to  the 
poison  of  sin.  They  cannot  hush  the  voice  of  an 
accusing  conscience.  They  speak  no  peace  to  the 
troubled  soul.  They  offer  no  gift  of  life  to  the 
dying.  They  cannot  bring  "  life  and  immortality 
to  light"  by  all  their  humanitarian  theories.  But 
just  here  Redeeming  Love  again  asserts  its  pres- 
ence and  power  to  meet  the  needs  of  perishing 
mankind. 

The  aged  Patriarch  in  the  midst  of  his  graves 
and  ruins  looks  down  the  vista  of  the  coming 
centuries  and  gathers  the  only  consolation  which 
can  bind  up  the  broken  heart  : — "  I  know  that  my 
Redeemer  liveth,  and  that  He  shall  stand  at  the 
latter  day  upon  the  earth :  and  though  after  my 


136   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION". 

skin  worms  destroy  this  body,  yet  in  my  flesh  shall 
I  see  God  :  Whom  I  shall  see  for  myself,  and  mine 
eyes  shall  behold,  and  not  another."  And  as  we 
look  back  over  well  nigh  two  thousand  years  the 
words  come  in  sounds  of  heavenly  music  over  the 
graves  of  buried  generations  : — "  I  am  the  Resur- 
rection, and  the  Life  :  he  that  believeth  in  Me, 
though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live  :  and  whoso- 
ever liveth  and  believeth  in  Me  shall  never  die." 
fjohn  xi.  25,  26.) 


LECTURE  VII. 
THE    KINGDOM    OF   GOD. 

"Alleluia  :  for  the  Lord  God  omnipotent  reigneth."— Rev. 

xix.  6. 

THE  deeper  moral  and  spiritual  elements  of 
God's  revelation  of  Himself  to  His  intelli- 
gent creatures  have  been  made  apparent  through 
the  Incarnation.  The  "  principalities  and  powers 
in  heavenly  places"  acquire  knowledge  of  the 
"manifold  wisdom  of  God  "  through  the  agency 
of  the  "  Church." 

The  question  of  course  arises  immediately  as  to 
what  the  Church  can  be  through  whose  agency 
such  wonderful  effects  are  produced.  Clear  views 
on  this  point  are  absolutely  necessary  to  any  satis- 
factory handling  of  the  Philosophy  of  the  Incarna- 
tion. 

We  cannot  accept  the  dictum  of  Mr.  Latham 
that  our  Lord  "  founded  no  institution  "  ("  Pastor 
Pastorum,"  p.  3)  or  again  that  He  is  "  not  a  Mis- 
sionary making  converts "  (p.  222).  Such  state- 
ments may  be  accompanied  by  any  amount  of 
childlike  faith,  and  be  embedded  in  much  valuable 
and  suggestive  teaching,  but  this  faith  will  soon 
evaporate  like  an  evanescent  essence  distilled  from 
our   early  training.     The  Catholic  Faith    inheres 


138    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

in  the  Catholic  Church  and  cannot  otherwise  be 
maintained.  If  our  Lord  "  founded  no  institu- 
tion" it  is  difficult  to  see  on  what  ground  either 
Church  or  Faith  can  stand.  The  faith  so  happily 
held  by  this  recent  writer  will  not  be  conveyed 
to  his  readers  if  they  adopt  his  way  of  looking  at 
things. 

I.  In  the  profoundest  sense  our  Lord  is  the 
Church.  Humanity  in  its  solidarity  is  taken  into 
God  in  Him.  All  potentialities  of  the  Divine  and 
Human  radiate  from  Him  as  from  the  central 
"  Light  of  the  World,"  (Cf.  John  i.  9)  and  after 
passing  through  all  the  ages  return  into  Him 
"  from  whom  are  all  things  and  to  whom  are  all 
things."  (Cf.  Rom.  xi.  36,  1  Cor.  viii.  6,  Col.  i.  16.) 
Christ  is  thus  seen  to  be  the  unit  of  Creation 
and  Providence.  The  Eternal  Reason  working 
through  all  things  in  heaven  and  earth  reveals  its 
method  of  operation  in  Christ ;  and  in  nothing 
more  conspicuously  than  in  the  founding  of  His 
Church.  His  absolute  unity  with  His  people  is 
expressed  in  such  a  variety  of  figures  that  it  is  im- 
possible to  ignore  their  force.  The  symbolism  of 
the  "  Vine  "  and  of  the  "  Bread  "  will  at  once  occur 
as  indicating  a  unity  of  the  most  vital  and  intimate 
kind.  They  imply  an  outward  and  visible  unity 
held  for  ever  together  by  the  imperishable  life  cur- 
rent which  flows  through  them.  No  such  lan- 
guage could  possibly  be  used  of  any  other  teacher 
whom  the  world  has  ever  seen  ;  nor  can  we  even 
imagine  any  other  using  such  language  of  himself 
without  exciting  the  ridicule  of  mankind.  But 
lest  we  should  lean  too  much  upon  the  outward 


THE  KINGDOM  OF   GOD.  1 39 

sign  the  intensity  of  the  spiritual  unity  is  empha- 
sized in  the  memorable  words  :  "  That  they  all 
may  be  one ;  as  Thou,  Father,  art  in  Me,  and  I  in 
Thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  Us :  that  the 
world  may  believe  that  Thou  hast  sent  Me."  (John 
xvii.  21.)  It  is  possible  to  adopt  a  method  of 
"  free  handling"  by  which  these  wonderful  words 
may  be  deprived  of  all  their  meaning.  We  may 
easily  enough  approach  their  study  with  a  settled 
purpose  of  mind  to  make  them  square  with  our 
preconceived  theories.  We  may  determine  be- 
forehand that  they  must  mean  nothing  more  than 
similar  words  might  be  held  to  mean  if  spoken  by 
Zoroaster  or  Confucius.  And  since  such  words,  if 
spoken  by  these  sages,  would  have  to  be  inter- 
preted with  due  allowance  for  the  extravagant 
enthusiasm  of  admiring  followers,  so  here  the 
warm  imagination  of  the  "  beloved  disciple  "  must 
be  held  to  have  overstated  the  case.  The  calm 
judicial  mind  will  not  thus  prejudge  the  cause. 
It  should  also  be  borne  in  mind  that  if  we  set 
down  these  and  similar  words  of  our  Lord  as  being 
merely  the  coloring  given  by  the  fervid  imagina- 
tion of  His  ad-miring  friends,  we  only  create  new 
difficulties  which  we  are  totally  unable  to  ex- 
plain. 

1.  It  will  not  be  denied  that  the  sacred  writers 
have  sketched  a  character  of  unique  beauty  and 
unparalleled  elevation.  There  is  absolutely  noth- 
ing like  the  Christ  of  the  Gospels  in  all  the  com- 
pass of  literature.  Viewing  Him  simply  as  the 
"  Man  Christ  Jesus  "  He  is  not  in  any  sense  the 
product   of  His  age.     All  attempts  to   "  account 


140   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

for  Him  "  on  the  principles  of  natural  evolution 
and  development  have  utterly  broken  down.  He 
is  neither  a  "resultant"  following  the  "line  of 
least  resistance  "  of  the  opposing  forces  in  Jew  and 
Gentile,  nor  a  spiritualized  personification  of  hu- 
man thought  and  moral  struggle,  nor  yet  an  ideal 
picture  of  the  mythical  fancy.  Not  the  first  for  He 
was  to  "  the  Jews  a  stumbling-block,  and  unto  the 
Greeks  foolishness  "  (i  Cor.  i.  23) ;  not  the  second 
for  to  friend  and  foe  alike  He  moved  on  the  plane 
of  common  experience,  shedding  human  tears  and 
dying  a  human  death  of  agony  and  shame  ;  not 
the  third  for  He  lived  in  the  light  of  history  and 
is  inseparably  connected  with  such  men  of  mortal 
mould  as  Herod  and  Pontius  Pilate,  Caiaphas  and 
the  rest.  The  more  we  study  His  age  the  less  can 
we  account  for  Him  on  merely  natural  principles. 
What  throbbings  of  Jewish  life  anticipated  Him  ? 
For  centuries  the  "  word  of  prophecy  "  had  been 
still.  For  centuries  the  holy  few  had  been  wait- 
ing for  the  consolation  of  Israel  as  foretold  by  the 
long-hushed  voices  of  the  prophets.  The  sceptre 
had  departed  from  Judah  ;  the  lawgiver  had  van- 
ished from  between  his  feet.  The  throne  of 
David  had  fallen  into  hopeless  ruin  ;  his  kingdom, 
riven  and  rent,  was  ground  beneath  the  heel  of 
the  conquering  Roman.  The  national  religion  was 
practically  dead  ;  the  temple  a  "  den  of  thieves  ; " 
the  "  law  "  made  "  void  "  through  empty  ceremo- 
nies and  "vain  traditions;"  the  leaders  of  the 
people  righteously  described  as  a  "  generation  of 
vipers."  What  is  there  here  to  "  account  "  on  any 
merely  natural  principles  for  Him  who  "spake  as 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  \\l 

never  man  spake "  ?  Let  him  answer  who  can, 
for  the  answer  has  not  yet  been  given. 

Who  are  the  artists  who  have  drawn  this  por- 
trait in  the  Gospels  ?  It  matters  little  whether 
they  be  the  same  as  those  whose  names  the  Gos- 
pels bear.  Although  I  think  the  evidence  for  the 
"  genuineness  "  of  the  Gospels  quite  unanswerable 
I  do  not  rely  upon  it  here.  The  argument  is 
quite  independent  of  the  question  of  authorship. 
It  cannot  be  denied  with  any  show  of  reason  that 
they  are  the  product  of  the  Apostolic  age,  at  least 
as  to  all  the  substantial  features  of  their  story. 
The  writers,  whoever  they  were,  are  plainly  want- 
ing in  scholarship  and  lack  the  polish  which  comes 
of  familiarity  with  letters.  They  sketch  a  char- 
acter whom  they  do  not  understand.  They  re- 
port His  words  but  confess  themselves  ignorant  of 
their  meaning.  They  are  "amazed"  at  a  spirit- 
ual elevation  they  cannot  reach  and  at  profound 
moral  instruction  they  can  neither  appreciate  nor 
comprehend.  They  are  plainly  eye-witnesses  tell- 
ing what  their  "eyes  have  seen,  and  their  ears 
have  heard,  and  their  hands  have  handled  of  the 
Word  of  Life."  But  they  are  as  incapable  of 
creating  the  character  as  they  are  of  creating  the 
world ! 

If  it  be  indeed  true  that  this  "  Son  of  Man  "  is 
also  the  "  Son  of  God  "  as  the  angel  announced 
that  He  would  be  the  whole  case  is  plainly  of  a 
piece.  The  living  character  went  in  and  out 
among  the  disciples  who  from  the  beginning  were 
eye-witnesses  and  ministers  of  the  word.  The 
portrait  is  true  in  all  its  earthly  and  unearthly 


142    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  MCARtfATION. 

features  because  the  "  Man  Christ  Jesus  "  was  also 
4<  God  manifest  in  the  flesh." 

I  assume  then  that  the  words  quoted  are  His 
own  words,  and  that  they  are  to  be  taken  in  their 
plain  meaning — a  meaning  not  to  be  set  aside  be 
cause  it  requires  Divine  attributes  as  of  right  per- 
taining to  our  Lord. 

Viewed  in  this  way  the  Humanity  of  Christ 
involves  the  whole  race  in  solidarity.  Every 
single  child  of  Adam  is  touched  of  the  Incarna- 
tion.  Every  physical  element  in  nature  which 
enters  into  the  human  body  is  touched  of  the  In- 
carnation. Every  moral  and  spiritual  principle  of 
the  soul  is  touched  of  the  Incarnation.  Potentially 
therefore  the  whole  human  race  is  gathered  up  in 
Christ  and  receives  in  Him  the  power  of  an  end- 
less life. 

Practically  the  Divine  Humanity  is  the  vehi- 
cle for  the  conveyance  of  this  life  to  the  world. 
Through  the  media  of  Divine  appointment  the 
Humanity  communicates  its  inherent  powers  to 
the  children  of  men.  The  Apostles  are  "  chosen," 
"  ordained,"  and  "  sent  "  by  the  Lord  Himself. 
They  have  their  commission  made  to  cover  "  all 
the  world  "  delivered  to  them  by  the  sacred  lips 
of  the  risen  Christ.  The  creed  also  which  they 
were  to  carry  to  "  all  nations  "  is  clearly  defined  by 
the  same  Authority.  And  finally,  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost,  they  are  fully  empowered  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  "  to  make  disciples  of  all  nations  by  Baptiz- 
ing them  into  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the 
Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  (Matt,  xxviii.  19.) 
The   organism    constituted  by  the    Incarnation 


THE  KINGDOM  OF   GOD.  143 

subsumes  into  itself  and  assimilates  to  itself  the  in- 
dividuals gathered  from  "  all  nations  "  by  the  meth- 
od appointed  for  its  propagation  in  the  world. 
The  Divine  life  which  is  to  regenerate  the  race 
descends  from  God  to  man  through  the  Humani- 
ty of  Christ,  passes  into  the  Apostolic  ministry 
until  it  reach  "  all  nations  "  and  is  brought  home 
to  "  every  creature."  The  Church  founded  upon 
the  "  Rock  of  Ages  "  stands  for  ever  impregnable 
against  all  the  gathering  storms  of  the  growing 
centuries,  and  the  "  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail 
against  it." 

As  is  sufficiently  indicated  in  these  words  the 
Church  is  a  Militant  Church  and  cannot  hope  to 
escape  the  trials  inseparable  from  war.  Her  history 
is  the  history  of  her  conflicts ;  but  it  is  also  the 
history  of  her  continuity  from  the  visible  Incarna- 
tion of  her  Lord  to  the  present  hour. 

Her  polity  was  plainly  outlined  in  the  words 
by  which  the  Sacred  Mission  was  given  to  the 
Apostles —  "  As  My  Father  hath  sent  Me,  even  so 
send  I  you."  (John  xx.  21.)  Her  creed,  as  we 
have  seen,  distinctly  defined  as  the  limits  of 
Apostolic  duty  were  more  particularly  specified. 
(Matt,  xxviii.  19.)  Her  Sacraments  two  in  num- 
ber "  ordained  by  Christ  Himself,"  and  in  force 
until  He  come  again  to  judge  the  world.  Her 
discipline  entrusted  to  Apostolic  hands  in  the 
"power  of  the  keys  "to  remit  and  retain  sins  in 
such  sort  as  the  Lord  commanded.     (John  xx.  22.) 

Before  the  Ascension  the  Church  is  fully 
equipped  with  all  authority,  mission,  doctrine,  and 
discipline,  and  only  awaits  the  "  power  from  on 


144   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

high  "  which  was  actually  conferred  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost. 

When  the  Great  Forty  Days  are  ended  and  the 
Lord  withdraws  His  visible  presence  He  has  left 
a  visible  Institution  fully  officered  and  constituted 
for  the  perpetual  preservation  of  His  cause. 

In  due  season  the  Holy  Spirit  descends  upon 
His  Apostles  according  to  His  promise  and  they 
are  hereby  qualified  for  the  execution  of  the  mis- 
sion and  authority  already  bestowed.  They  im- 
mediately began  to  preach,  and  those  who  were 
daily  added  to  the  infant  community  "continued 
stedfastly  in  the  Apostles'  doctrine  and  fellow- 
ship, and  in  the  breaking  of  the  bread,  and  in  the 
prayers."     (Acts  ii.  42.) 

Christianity  is  thus  seen  to  have  come  into  the 
world  not  merely  as  a  life,  though  it  is  the  very 
Life  of  the  world ;  nor  merely  as  a  creed,  though 
it  is  a  creed  summarizing  the  profound  mystery  of 
the  Trinity ;  nor  yet  as  a  code  of  morals,  though 
it  requires  the  highest  morality  ever  called  for  in 
any  system ;  but  as  an  Organism  deriving  its  life 
from  the  source  of  all  life  in  the  Eternal  Word, 
and  maintaining  and  propagating  itself  in  the 
world  by  such  media  of  Divine  appointment  as 
the  Incarnate  Lord  has  commanded  and  His 
Spirit  vitalizes. 

II.  That  it  was  the  purpose  of  our  Lord  to 
found  a  Kingdom,  Church,  Body,  Institution — 
call  the  organism  by  any  name,  may  now  be  held 
as  sufficiently  plain.  That  He  actually  did  carry 
out  this  purpose  the  history  clearly  states.  That 
the   Apostles  whom    He  commissioned  and   sent 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  1 45 

understood  His  purpose  and,  immediately  after 
the  gift  of  the  Spirit,  bent  all  their  energies  to 
developing  the  seed  germ  entrusted  to  them  is 
abundantly  evidenced  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles 
and  the  Epistles.  I  cannot  enter  upon  the  de- 
tailed examination  of  the  Apostles'  method  of 
procedure.  Two  points  only  can  be  touched  as 
illustrating  the  scope  of  the  Church. 

I.  It  fulfils  the  promise  of  the  past. 

From  the  garden  of  Eden  onward  the  Divine 
purpose  was  slowly  unfolding.  The  promise  had 
been  given  that  the  "  Seed  of  the  woman  should 
bruise  the  serpent's  head  ; "  and  to  its  fulfilment 
the  faithful  few  looked  forward  through  the  earlier 
days  with  such  simple  rites  of  external  service  as 
we  find  in  established  use  in  the  time  of  Noah. 
In  Abraham  the  covenant  was  visibly  signed  and 
sealed.  The  Jewish  Church  as  a  visible  Institu- 
tion continued  under  theocratic  rule  until  the  de- 
struction of  Jerusalem  by  Titus  and  the  extirpa- 
tion of  the  national  life. 

Throughout  this  period  it  is  impossible  to  ig- 
nore the  typical  character  of  the  sacred  rites  and 
ceremonies.  They  are  arranged  in  conformity 
with  the  "pattern  shown  in  the  Mount."  They 
point  to  something  above  and  beyond  themselves. 
Their  imperative  claims  are  as  repeatedly  stated  as 
their  inadequacy,  except  as  vehicles  of  something 
greater  than  themselves,  is  urged  by  the  prophets. 
The  severe  censure  so  often  poured  in  withering 
scorn  upon  the  superstitious  and  merely  perfunc- 
tory performance  of  these  sacred  rites,  is  only 
equalled  by  the  lamentations  over  their  neglect. 
10 


146   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

That  they  were  not  intended  to  be  permanent  but 
only  to  act  as  guides  for  a  time  lies  upon  the  face 
of  both  Testaments.  That  the  prophets  looked 
through  them  and  beyond  them  to  the  universal 
Kingdom  ultimately  to  supersede  all  others  cannot 
be  denied  on  any  principles  of  criticism.  That 
the  eyes  of  all  the  devout  who  "  waited  for  the  con- 
solation of  Israel  "  were  ever  looking  forward  for 
the  realization  of  these  hopes  is  simply  an  un- 
questioned fact,  however  it  is  to  be  accounted 
for.  While  they  felt  the  value  of  Jewish  ordi- 
nances they  also  confessed  their  insufficiency. 
The  "  blood  of  bulls  and  of  goats  and  the  ashes 
of  an  heifer  sprinkling  the  unclean"  "sanctified" 
only  so  far  as  the  "  purifying  of  the  flesh."  The 
"heavenly  things  themselves"  must  be  purified  by 
some  better  sacrifices  than  these.  The  "  Sacrifices 
offered  by  the  law  "  though  of  Divine  appoint- 
ment could  not  "  take  away  sin  "  nor  "  make  the 
comers  thereunto  perfect  as  pertaining  to  the  con- 
science." (Cf.  Heb.  ix.  x.  passim.) 

All  this  and  much  more  of  the  same  kind  goes 
to  show  the  typical  and  anticipatory  character  of 
the  elder  dispensation.  And  it  does  this  in  a 
manner  entirely  independent  of  all  questions  of 
the  authorship  and  date  of  the  Old  Testament 
writings.  The  canon  was  closed  at  least  a  cen- 
tury or  more  before  Christ.  It  is  also  independent 
of  nice  questions  of  criticism  of  particular  texts. 
The  broad  general  facts  cannot  be  set  aside  by  the 
utmost  stretch  of  critical  acumen ;  and  these  are 
all  which  my  argument  requires.  I  am  indeed  by 
no  means  prepared  to  admit  the  claims  of  what  is 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  1 47 

most  unhappily  called  the  "  higher  criticism,"  but 
the  line  of  my  present  thought  does  not  require 
the  settlement  of  the  questions  raised  by  it. 

The  Eternal  Reason  is  independent  of  all  ques- 
tions of  time.  The  Eternal  Sacrifice  is  also  simi- 
larly independent  of  such  limitations,  and  is  ef- 
ficacious for  the  remission  of  sins  under  the  first 
Testament.  Its  latent  powers  slowly  clothed 
themselves  in  external  form,  awaiting  the  ripen- 
ing of  the  ages  and  the  gradual  education  of  man- 
kind. When  finally  the  temporary  garb  of  earlier 
ceremonies  is  laid  aside  and  the  "  only  begotten 
Son  "  is  "  presented  in  the  temple  and  to  the  Uni- 
verse in  the  substance  of  our  flesh  "  (Cf.  col.  for 
Purifn.)  all  promise  of  the  past  is  thereby  fulfilled  ; 
for  He  "  came  not  to  destroy  but  to  fulfil  the  law 
and  the  prophets." 

2.  The  Church  also  contains  the  hope  of  the 
future.  There  is  in  the  Church  a  spring  of  per- 
petually regenerative  force  having  its  origin  in 
Christ's  continual  presence — "  Lo,  I  am  with  you 
alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  (Matt, 
xxviii.  20.) 

Here  is  a  profound  mark  of  distinction  between 
our  Lord  and  every  other  teacher  of  mankind. 
There  have  been  great  leaders  of  men  who  have 
appeared  in  the  course  of  history.  Lawgivers  like 
Moses  and  Solon  ;  poets  like  David,  Isaiah  and 
Homer ;  Philosophers  like  Solomon  and  Socra- 
tes ;  warriors  like  Joshua,  Caesar  and  Wellington  ; 
Saints  like  the  "  noble  army  of  martyrs " — all 
have  passed  away  and  left  their  impress  upon  the 
history  of  the  world.     But  no  one  would  be  so 


I48    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OP  THE  INCARNAT/Otf. 

extravagant  as  to  affirm  that  these  dead  saints  and 
heroes  can  have  any  influence  now  upon  the  desti- 
nies of  their  followers.  Their  present  condition 
whatever  it  may  be  is  totally  without  effect  upon 
those  who  may  have  accepted  their  opinions. 
They  survive  only  in  memory.  "  The  evil  they 
have  done  lives  after  them,  the  good  has  been  too 
often  interred  with  their  bones."  They  have  gone 
the  way  of  all  the  earth,  been  gathered  to  their 
fathers,  and  their  sepulchres  alone  remain.  What 
they  are  and  where  they  are  to-day  makes  no  sort 
of  difference  to  those  who  may  have  adopted  their 
guidance  on  questions  of  law,  philosophy,  politics 
or  religion.  A  careful  consideration  of  this  broad 
fact  is  sufficient  to  show  the  radical  distinction 
and  difference  between  our  Lord  and  every  other 
teacher  who  has  influenced  mankind. 

It  is  not  because  we  can  look  back  to  the  his- 
toric scenes  of  Galilee  and  trace  in  loving  memory 
the  footsteps  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  as  He  goes  about 
"  doing  good  "  that  we  are  Christians.  Nor  is  it 
because  the  record  of  His  words  and  deeds  has 
been  preserved  to  excite  the  admiration  of  man- 
kind that  we  love  and  trust  Him.  It  is  not  even 
because  Jesus  the  Christ  once  lived  to  "  bear  our 
sicknesses  and  carry  our  sorrows,"  and  died  to 
"  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity  "  that  we  hope  to  re- 
ceive the  "forgiveness  of  sins  and  life  everlasting." 
But  it  is  because  He  is  now  at  the  right  hand  of 
God  "  all  power  in  heaven  and  in  earth  being  given 
into  His  hand ; "  because  He  now  appears  in  the 
presence  of  God  for  us  in  the  heavenly  Sanctuary, 
and  because  "  He  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD,  149 

for  us."  I  do  not  merely  look  back  with  reverent 
regard  along  the  vista  of  past  centuries  and  by  an 
effort  of  the  historic  imagination  endeavour  to  re- 
produce the  "  Man  Christ  Jesus  "  as  He  lived  and 
taught  and  died.  All  this,  however  instructive 
and  interesting  as  a  study,  would  prove  of  little 
avail  to  meet  the  needs  of  suffering  humanity.  I 
need  a  living  Lord  who  loves  me  now,  who  sym- 
pathizes with  my  present  griefs,  and  marks  my 
falling  tears.  If  Christianity  can  only  bid  me 
"  Sisfh  for  the  touch  of  a  vanished  hand  and  the 
sound  of  a  voice  that  is  still"  it  can  no  more 
satisfy  my  longing  spirit  nor  fill  my  empty  heart 
than  other  memories  of  buried  loveliness.  Here 
is  the  weakness  of  all  other  creeds  and  philoso- 
phies offering  remedies  for  human  sin  and  sorrow. 
They  hold  out  a  dead  hand  and  smite  us  with  the 
chill  of  the  grave.  Their  religion  is  but  the  re- 
miniscence of  the  departed,  their  philosophy  the 
philosophy  of  despair ! 

The  Philosophy  of  the  Incarnation  is  pre-eminent 
and  unique  in  that  it  presents  Eternal  Reason  as 
forever  active  in  every  department  of  nature ; 
Eternal  Love  as  continually  present  through  the 
evolution  of  the  everlasting  ages  ;  a  Priest  possess- 
ing the  "  power  of  an  endless  life,"  offering  an 
eternal  Sacrifice  of  perpetual  efficacy ;  an  "  Advo- 
cate with  the  Father "  who  is  the  "  propitiation 
for  our  sins  ;  "  a  "  Prince  and  a  Saviour  for  to 
give  repentance  and  remission  of  sins ; "  a  sym- 
pathizing Friend  ;  a  living  King.  Here  is  the 
absolute  unity  of  faith  and  reason. 

The  Church  being  a  life  and  not  a  memory  is 


150   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

filled  with  elastic  power,  and  is  able  to  absorb  and 
assimilate  all  human  needs  both  old  and  new. 
Imperishable  as  her  Lord  she  reaches  every  phase 
of  man's  condition.  She  is  Militant,  Expectant 
and  Triumphant.  "  Both  living  saints  and  dead 
but  one  communion  make." 

III.  The  Church  Militant. 

The  Notes  of  the  Church  are  as  imperishable  as 
herself.  They  have  always  been  the  same  even  as 
her  Lord  is  "  the  same  yesterday,  to-day  and  for- 
ever." 

i.  "The  Household  of  God"  is  "built  upon 
the  foundation  of  the  Apostles  and  Prophets, 
Jesus  Christ  Himself  being  the  chief  corner  stone  ; 
in  whom  all  the  building  fitly  framed  together 
groweth  unto  an  holy  temple  in  the  Lord." 
(Ephes.  ii.  19-21.)  This  passage  and  others  of 
kindred  import  reveal  the  historic  base  on  which 
the  living  temple  is  erected.  "  Apostolicity  "  has 
been  rightly  held  as  a  "Note"  of  the  Church. 
As  we  have  seen  the  first  disciples  "continued 
steadfastly  in  the  Apostles'  doctrine  and  fellow- 
ship." Acquiescence  in  these  elements  of  truth 
and  order  was  the  imperative  condition  of  mem- 
bership. Whatever  religious  societies  might  be 
subsequently  formed  they  could  not  claim  to  be 
any  part  of  the  primitive  community  if  they  did 
not  share  in  the  unity  of  its  foundation  or  failed 
to  submit  to  its  discipline.  Voluntary  aggrega- 
tions of  individuals  soon  became  prominent  as 
self-will  and  personal  ambition  asserted  their 
presence,  and  variety  of  taste  and  opinion  made 
themselves  felt.     But  such   societies  derived  all 


THE  KINGDOM  OF   GOD.  151 

their  power  of  continued  existence  from  a  real 
or  pretended  adherence  to  the  Apostolic  base. 
Derivation  from  the  Apostles  or  from  Apostolic 
men  was  indispensable  to  any  hope  of  life. 

2.  Sanctity  is  also  a  "Note  "  which  has  been  at 
all  times  held  essential.  Each  member  is  solemnly 
set  apart  to  God's  service  by  the  Sacrament  ap- 
pointed. Every  individual  is  thus  made  holy  to 
the  Lord.  It  is  the  sanctity  of  dedication  and 
the  gift  of  gracious  life ;  for  "  being  by  nature 
born  in  sin  and  the  children  of  wrath  we  are  here- 
by made  the  children  of  grace."  Here  again  is 
the  great  principle  of  the  "  gift  of  life"  to  be  used 
according  to  the  law  appointed  for  its  growth  and 
development ;  a  life  to  be  nourished  and  trained 
for  God  in  the  school  of  trial  and  discipline,  and 
not  to  be  otherwise  brought  to  full  perfection. 
There  is  the  general  life  of  the  whole  "  Body  "  of 
which  every  "  member  "  is  a  partaker  and  a  general 
sanctity  in  which  each  has  a  share.  This  life  and 
sanctity  is  not  derived  from  the  aggregate  of  the 
members  but  is  inherent  in  Christ  and  is  conferred 
upon  the  members  from  Him  only.  The  common 
life  of  the  Vine  is  the  source  of  life  to  all  the 
branches,  yet  each  branch  must  draw  up  into  itself 
by  an  effort  of  the  individual  gift  of  life  whatever 
is  necessary  for  its  own  growth.  It  must  rightly 
receive,  assimilate  and  use  the  vital  strength  fur- 
nished by  the  parent  stem  or  it  will  wither  and 
be  taken  away  because  fruitless.  A  reciprocity  is 
established  between  the  body  and  the  members  in 
which  they  mutually  co-operate  to  the  attainment 
of  great  results.     As  therefore  the  "  whole  body  of 


152    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

the  Church  is  governed  and  sanctified  "  by  God,  so 
must  each  member  exhibit  in  life  and  character 
the  same  "  Note." 

3.  Unity  is  equally  essential. 

The  Body  of  Christ  is  one,  nor  would  anyone 
"diligently  reading  Holy  Scripture  and  ancient 
authors  "  ever  have  questioned  it  had  not  human 
vanity,  ambition  and  pride  proved  too  strong  for 
piety. 

The  statement  put  forth  by  the  House  of 
Bishops  on  the  great  question  of  Christian  unity 
is  so  generous,  philosophical  and  sound  that  I 
here  set  down  its  substance  as  being  better  than 
anything  I  have  found  elsewhere. 

The  essentials  of  Unity  are  four : — 

(a.)  The  Holy  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments. 

(b.)  The  Nicene  Creed. 

(c.)  The  Two  Sacraments  with  unfailing  use  of 
the  means  appointed  and  of  the  words  of  Institu- 
tion. 

(d.)  The  Historic  Episcopate. 

Here  the  Church  is  viewed  as  a  living  Body 
entrusted  by  her  Lord  with  the  sacred  Deposit  of 
which  she  is  the  authorized  custodian.  She  is 
preserved  a  unit  in  her  Episcopate.  She  is  "  the 
witness  and  keeper  of  Holy  Writ  " — the  witness 
of  its  Inspiration,  the  keeper  of  its  records.  She 
is  the  guardian  of  the  Two  Sacraments  "  ordained 
by  Christ  Himself."  She  is  the  Mother  of  the 
Creed  which  is  the  outward  symbol  of  the  "  Faith 
once  for  all  delivered  to  the  Saints."  These  four 
she  cannot  surrender.     They  are  the  very  condi- 


THE  KINGDOM  OF   GOD.  1 53 

tion  of  her  life,  and  must  not  be  given  up  in  obe- 
dience to  the  wishes  of  compromising  friends  or 
the  clamor  of  those  who  may  have  lost  one  or 
more  of  the  specified  particulars. 

4.  Catholicity  is  the  last  general  "  Note  "  of  the 
Church.  It  means  simply  the  Church  of  all  or 
for  all ;  all  people ;  all  sorts  and  conditions  of 
men ;  all  ages.  In  it  is  no  distinction  of  Jew  or 
Gentile,  male  or  female,  barbarian,  Scythian,  bond 
or  free,  but  all  are  one  in  Christ  Jesus.  Universal 
adaptability  to  all  states  of  knowledge  and  igno- 
rance, and  to  every  child  of  man  whether  civilized 
or  savage  is  the  grand  claim  put  forth  in  this 
"Note "of  the  Church.  It  is  not  intended  that 
these  notes  have  been  always  equally  prominent. 
There  have  been  times  in  the  militant  history  of 
the  Church  when  one  or  another  of  them  have 
fallen  somewhat  out  of  view.  But  that  does  not 
in  any  way  set  aside  the  fact  of  their  real  presence 
or  essential  character.  The  hope  of  the  world  is 
bound  up  in  their  recognition.  The  regeneration 
of  the  race  can  only  be  hopefully  expected  as  the 
stream  of  life  is  carried  to  "  every  creature "  by 
the  Divinely  appointed  agency  for  its  conveyance. 

IV.  The  Church  Expectant. 

It  is,  however,  a  mistake  to  limit  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  Church  to  her  militant  characteristics. 
While  it  is  true  that  our  chief  business  is  with  the 
duties  and  responsibilities  of  this  present  life,  and 
therefore  we  must  be  principally  concerned  with 
the  conditions  of  the  Church  Militant ;  yet  it  by 
no  means  follows  that  this  exhausts  either  our  in- 
terest or  associations.     Scripture  does  not  give  us 


154   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

much  information  as  to  the  faithful  departed  who 
are  awaiting  in  the  sweet  rest  of  Paradise  the  final 
consummation.  The  following  points  are  sugges- 
tive by  way  of  analogy : 

i.  Continuity  of  life. 

We  pass  through  many  changes  in  the  ordinary 
course  of  our  earthly  life.  At  first  barely  to  be 
distinguished  from  a  vegetable,  and  then  through 
many  animal  parallels  until,  with  maturing  years, 
reason  and  conscience  assert  their  presence  and 
power.  During  this  long  process  many  very  won- 
derful things  have  happened  which  fail  to  excite 
our  admiration  only  because  of  their  frequency. 
Nature's  pre-vision  of  the  future  needs  of  the  or- 
ganism she  is  shaping  is  truly  marvellous.  The 
adaptation  of  the  eye  in  total  darkness  to  the 
light  which  it  is  to  meet  before  its  infant  powers 
have  learned  anything  of  self-preservation ;  the 
shaping  of  the  ear  in  absolute  silence  to  the  nice 
discrimination  of  the  noises  so  suddenly  to  break 
upon  it ;  the  piercing  of  the  lungs  in  the  airless 
chamber  of  the  placenta  with  thousands  of  minute 
cells  for  the  special  elimination  of  oxygen  from 
the  atmosphere,  and  the  consequent  aeration  of 
the  blood  in  its  circulation  immediately  after 
birth ;  the  formation  of  the  delicate  pores  of 
the  skin  under  conditions  of  uniform  temperature 
with  powers  of  contraction  and  expansion  spe- 
cially adjusted  to  sudden  changes  of  thermic  en- 
vironment ; — all  these  and  many  other  special  ar- 
rangements with  a  view  to  future  contingencies 
are  indeed  a  prophecy  of  coming  events  under  ab- 
solutely new  conditions.      And  long  after  birth 


THE  KINGDOM  OF   GOD.  I  55 

through  youth  and  manhood  there  is  a  constant 
renewal  of  the  same  prophecy.  Intellectual, 
moral  and  spiritual  states  are  met  from  year  to 
year  in  the  vigor  of  powers  which  have  been  slow- 
ly prepared  beforehand.  Sometimes  this  prep- 
aration has  been  planned  and  diligently  matur- 
ed ;  but  very  often  the  process  has  been  carried 
on  by  the  Providence  of  God  without  our  per- 
sonal consciousness  of  its  progress  or  appreciation 
of  its  method. 

All  this  plainly  shows  the  secret  working  of  the 
Divine  Reason  moulding  changing  powers  to  fut- 
ure uses,  and  fitting  us  for  ends,  foreseen  indeed 
by  God  but  impossible  to  be  known  by  us  until 
the  "  fulness  of  the  time."  Through  all  the 
changes  the  life  remains  the  same,  only  as  its 
latent  energies  unfold  it  applies  the  resources  it 
can  command  to  the  production  of  new  results. 

What  is  thus  seen  to  be  a  matter  of  daily  obser- 
vation in  the  common  life  of  the  world  becomes 
infinitely  significant  when  carried  beyond  the 
grave.  For  why  should  it  be  any  more  disastrous 
to  our  real  self  to  lay  aside  the  worn-out  tene- 
ment of  the  body  at  what  we  call  death  than  it 
was  to  shed  our  infant  teeth  and  hair  when  they 
had  fulfilled  their  purpose  ?  And  if  we  can  be 
otherwise  informed  that  the  life  we  possess  is  an 
imperishable  life,  the  changes  we  have  already  sur- 
vived will  encourage  us  to  believe  that  we  will 
also  survive  the  power  of  the  "  last  enemy."  An- 
alogy will  enable  us  to  conclude  that  our  present 
life  in  the  Church  Militant  is  in  truth  a  most 
natural  and  fitting  preparation  for  the  new  duties 


156   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION: 

and  experiences  of  our  life  in  the  Church  Expec- 
tant. Our  condition  then  may  not  be  as  different 
from  our  condition  now  as  our  present  is  from  our 
past. 

2.  Development  of  life. 

All  life  involves  development.  When  develop- 
ment ceases  in  one  stage  of  an  organism  the  energy 
thus  saved  has  other  work  assigned.  When 
physical  powers  have  reached  their  prime  mental 
and  moral  are  still  crude.  When  these  again  have 
gained  ripeness  the  spiritual  may  still  be  in  their 
infancy.  All  through  our  earthly  life  there  is  a 
continual  growth  as  new  energies  find  sphere  and 
opportunity.  And  when  we  lay  aside  the  "bur- 
den of  the  flesh  "  Ave  do  not  therefore  also  divest 
ourselves  of  the  latent  spiritual  powers  which  have 
failed  to  reach  their  prime  before  our  change 
came.  The  power  of  the  "  endless  life  "  derived 
to  us  through  the  Incarnation  is  not  affected  by 
the  accident  of  death,  but  only  enters  upon  a  new 
phase  of  brighter  hopes  and  larger  possibilities. 
Imperishable  love,  however  it  may  have  been 
crushed  and  broken  by  the  limitations  of  our 
earthly  state  springs  here  into  the  full  freshness  of 
all  its  greatest  gifts.  The  crushing  bitterness  of 
earthly  separations  is  superseded  by  the  reunions 
here.  Those  we  have  "  loved  and  lost  awhile " 
return  to  our  grateful  view  and  fill  with  the 
heavenly  music  of  their  speech  the  vibrating  sym- 
pathies of  our  waiting  affections.  Problems  which 
have  proved  too  difficult  for  our  powers  find  here 
their  ready  solution  by  our  growing  capacities. 
Spiritual  affinities  long  repressed  by  earthly  con- 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  I  $7 

ditions  of  limitation  leap  into  activity  and  tune 
the  soul  in  the  Divine  harmonies  of  life  and  love. 
Increased  knowledge  and  higher  spiritual  tone 
generate  a  profounder  gratitude  as  the  ways  of 
Providence  are  better  understood.  The  members 
of  the  Church  in  Paradise  are  under  the  more 
immediate  personal  training  of  the  Lord  Himself. 
"  The  Lamb  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne 
shall  feed  them,  and  shall  lead  them  unto  living 
fountains  of  waters  :  and  God  shall  wipe  away  all 
tears  from  their  eyes."     (Rev.  vii.  17.) 

V.  The  Church  Triumphant. 

All  of  these  are  but  preparatory  stages.  The 
glorious  evolution  of  Redeeming  Love  moves  on 
steadily  to  its  goal.  The  mighty  power  revealed 
in  the  Incarnation  rises  superior  to  all  barriers. 
The  glowing  language  of  the  prophets  still  awaits 
adequate  fulfilment.  "  And  it  shall  come  to  pass 
in  the  last  days,  that  the  mountain  of  the  Lord's 
house  shall  be  established  in  the  top  of  the  moun- 
tains, and  shall  be  exalted  above  the  hills ;  and  all 
nations  shall  flow  unto  it."  (Isaiah  ii.  2.)  Or  in 
the  inspiring  words  of  the  writer  to  the  Hebrews  : 
— "  Ye  are  come  unto  mount  Sion,  and  unto  the 
city  of  the  living  God,  the  heavenly  Jerusalem, 
and  to  an  innumerable  company  of  angels,  to  the 
general  assembly  and  Church  of  the  first  born 
whose  names  are  written  in  heaven,  and  to  God 
the  Judge  of  all,  and  to  the  spirits  of  just  men 
made  perfect,  and  to  Jesus  the  Mediator  of  the 
new  covenant,  and  to  the  blood  of  sprinkling  that 
speaketh  better  things  than  that  of  Abel."  (Heb. 
xii.  22-24.) 


158    THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

To  this  it  only  remains  to  add  the  grand  an- 
nouncement of  the  Resurrection  and  final  Judg- 
ment to  complete  the  sublime  panorama  of  Crea- 
tion and  Providence. 

When  we  look  back  to  the  beginning  and 
listen  to  the  music  of  the  spheres  as  they  come 
forth  fresh  in  the  dawn  of  Creation's  morning  we 
cannot  but  feel  the  grandeur  of  the  scene.  "  The 
heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God  and  the  firma- 
ment showeth  His  handiwork." 

When  we  look  along  the  vista  of  the  vanishing 
centuries  and  mark  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  mighty 
tides  of  creative  power  as  one  grand  system  fol- 
lows another  in  the  stupendous  cycles  of  the  re- 
volving universe  we  cannot  but  feel  the  contrast 
between  the  pettiness  of  man  and  the  majesty  of 
his  environment. 

When  we  look  upon  the  tangled  skein  of  human 
lives  broken  and  shivered  in  their  passage  through 
this  "  vale  of  misery "  we  cannot  but  question 
whether  there  be  indeed  any  presiding  Intelli- 
gence gathering  these  ravelled  threads  and  weav- 
ing them  into  new  designs.  When  we  look  across 
the  graves  of  buried  generations  and  note  the  re- 
cord of  death's  continued  victories  it  is  hard  to 
avoid  the  conclusion  that  the  end  has  been  in- 
deed reached  and  that  man's  life  is  "  rounded 
with  a  sleep." 

When  we  study  the  record  of  man's  life  upon 
the  earth  and  find  it  only  the  record  of  his  crimes 
too  often  committed  against  the  light  of  reason, 
the  voice  of  conscience,  and  the  very  instincts  of 
nature  we  cannot  fail  to  tremble  and  fear  lest  the 


THE  KINGDOM  OF   GOD.  1 59 

vengeance  justly  due  to  his  offences  should  over- 
take him  without  hope  of  rescue. 

Were  these  the  only  sources  of  information  our 
religion  must  be  the  creature  of  fear,  our  philoso- 
phy only  that  of  despair. 

But  as  our  ears  are  strained  to  hear  all  the  won- 
drous music  of  Creation's  glorious  song  mingling 
as  it  must  with  the  wild  wail  of  the  dead  march 
following  the  footsteps  of  the  King  of  Terrors  as 
he  sweeps  the  dying  centuries  to  their  burial  we 
catch  the  deeper  tone  of  another  of  sweeter  ca- 
dence. Slowly  rising  amid  the  crash  of  life  and 
death,  the  cry  of  anguish  and  the  shout  of  triumph, 
comes  the  song  of  the  angelic  choir — like  the 
"  sound  of  holy  voices  chanting  o'er  the  crystal 
sea  " — "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth 
peace,  good  will  toward  men."  "  For  unto  you  is 
born  this  day  in  the  city  of  David  a  Saviour,  which 
is  Christ  the  Lord."  (Luke  ii.  1 1— 14.) 

And  as  we  pass  with  Incarnate  Love  through 
all  the  changeful  scenes  of  our  human  experience 
— through  sorrow,  disappointment,  death,  the 
grave — we  learn  profound  lessons  in  the  nature  of 
God  and  duty,  of  Providence  and  destiny,  of  life 
and  death,  of  innocence  and  sin,  of  hope  and  faith 
and  love.  We  see  the  deeper  spiritual  agencies  at 
work  (of  which  indeed  all  outward  nature  affords 
multiplied  types  and  symbols)  by  which  the  regen- 
eration of  the  world  is  finally  to  be  attained.  Al- 
ready we  catch  the  light  of  the  everlasting  day,  in 
golden  promise,  upon  the  utmost  verge  of  vision. 
Already  we  feel  the  pulse  of  resurrection  life  begin 
to  thrill  and  throb  in  the  faith  and  hope  of  all  the 


l6o   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

faithful  "family  in  heaven  and  earth."  Already 
the  mighty  anthem  gathers  volume  as  the  time 
approaches  and  we  "  hear  as  it  were  the  voice  of  a 
great  multitude,  and  as  the  voice  of  many  waters, 
and  as  the  voice  of  mighty  thunderings,  saying, 
Alleluia:  for  the  Lord  God  omnipotent  reigneth." 
O  Almighty  God,  who  hast  knit  together  Thine 
elect  in  one  communion  and  fellowship,  in  the 
mystical  body  of  Thy  Son  Christ  our  Lord  ;  Grant 
us  grace  so  to  follow  Thy  blessed  Saints  in  all  vir- 
tuous and  godly  living,  that  we  may  come  to  those 
unspeakable  joys,  which  Thou  hast  prepared  for 
those  who  unfeignedly  love  Thee ;  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord.    Amen. 


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220   The  philosophy 

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